If used as part of organization names, see the ap stylebook under u. We also have relatively firm definitions of our geographic regions, such as the midwest and the northeast. Junior varsity jv no periods certain organizations the first time the name of an organization is used, spell out. Abbreviations united states as a noun, united states. Per ap style, professional or job titles given after a persons name are in lower case. I remember when i filed one of my first bylines for a newspaper only to get my inbox slammed with emails from my editor in chief. When writing about the government of the united states of america there are some basic rules to follow. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. Improve your writing with this cheat sheet for the associated press ap style guide for writers and freelancers. Use the state abbreviations found below when they are. A good way to remember these eight is to always spell out the names of the two states outside the contiguous united states hawaii and alaska and the states inside the contiguous united states with five letters or less. If used as an adjective, abbreviate without spaces. If you write your press releases in ap style, get ready to start spelling out massachusetts a lot more often.
There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. The first is that using the full united states of america is usually not necessary in most writing. For example, you would have written in the united states, people tend to spell the word graywith an a, but now in chicago style its also ok to write in the us, people tend to spell the word graywith an a. Spell out and lowercase representative and senator in all other uses. Sep 19, 2012 professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. Ap updates its stylebook to accommodate changes in conventions and usage. United states, united nations, united kingdom spell out united states, united nations, and united kingdom when they do not. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. Professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. The crossed out words in the following examples dont add anything and can be eliminated. Twelve common mistakes of ap style apr 19, 2011 admin. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party.
Ap stylebook rules for height, feet, inches gatehouse. Although some publications such as the new york times have developed their own style guidelines, a basic knowledge of ap style is considered essential to those who want to work in print journalism. To see search results from any of these areas of the chicago manual of style online, click on the appropriate tab. Obviously, if you are quoting someone, or a document, stay true to their words. Every state in the united states has a specific abbreviation. Until the 17th edition, chicago style was to spell out the noun in.
A partial spelling with hyphens in place of some letters would convey the meaning. In general, you should spell out all numbers one through nine and use figures only for numbers 10 and above. Aug 15, 2019 learning all the states was hard enough as a kid, but now you need to memorize the ap style state name abbreviations. Abbreviations other apa guidelines academic guides at. Ap is set to make some major changes in the upcoming stylebook. For a full list of ap style state abbreviations, see our full page. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Do not capitalize federal, state, department, division, board. Always spell out measurements inches, feet, yards gallons, ounces, pounds etc. Some states are abbreviated, as is the united states with periods u. In other words, all three of the examples below are correct, and you can choose the style that you like best. Should the names of decades be capitalized when written out. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook.
In the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style numbers. In the past, states were generally abbreviated in domestic articles and news stories, but they were always spelled out in international content. Greenwich mean time may be abbreviated as gmt on second reference if. So the current guideline seems to advocate using u. In ap style, spell out whole numbers up to and including nine. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. The writers of most content creation companies usually write using a popular style guide ap, apa, chicago, mla mixed with a house style. Ap style guide quick reference the difference between academic writing and ap style most, if not all, of the documents created by the department are shared with the public, the education community and the media. Ap style seems to allow for multiple spacesaving adaptations for headlineslike using numerals in headlines, but spelling out numbers under.
Ap style holds that you should use periods in the abbreviation for united states within text. Note that both style guides have different rules for numbers in situations such as percentages, measurements and currency. Government printing office style manual says that united states should be spelled out unless it is used as an adjective for government intentionally capitalized, a government agency, or a general noun, in which case the abbreviation should include periods. Ap style it will be website and spell out state names. As noted earlier, epa has an online subscription to the ap book on our intranet. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. London ap susie blann, who has helped lead video coverage through europe and africa, has been named by the associated press as its united kingdom and ireland news director and special events. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Dont abbreviate names of states with five letters or fewer or which are not part of the continental united states. Unfortunately, we dont have such fixed boundaries for how to abbreviate united states. Writing principles usagov platform style guide usagov. When the name of a city and state are used together, the name of the state should be.
Ap style is what the general public is accustomed to seeing because it is the official stylebook of the newspaper industry. Junior varsity jv no periods certain organizations the first time the name of an organization is used, spell out the entire name. Spell out the names of the states whether standing alone or with a place name. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. The united states has more pet dogs than any other country in the world. Generally, we follow the united states government publishing office style manual spelling guidance, but we do use some exceptions. The individual cities, counties, and states within the united states have definite borders. Capitalize the word room when used with the number of the room. You can either spell out united states or abbreviate it, with periods or without. If you have a specific question that isnt addressed in the usagov platform style guide, consult the united states government publishing office style manual. By the way, ap style has a similar rule for abbreviating united kingdom. Jan 02, 2018 ap style seems to allow for multiple spacesaving adaptations for headlineslike using numerals in headlines, but spelling out numbers under 10 in the body of the text. Spell out the names of the two states that are not part of the contiguous united states and of the continental states that are five letters or fewer.
In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. In the united states, 67% reported this experience. Spell out all generic parts of street names avenue, north, road. One of the most heatedly debated over the years is the spelling of web site ap or website as much of the online community.
Ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. In headlines, however, the abbreviation has no periods. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. Unlike academic writing, ap style does not require a reference list or in text citations. The prime minister left for the united states yesterday. Some organizations and government agencies are widely recognized by their initials and can be referred to using their. Whats the preferred way to write the abbreviation for united states. Spell out all references to time zones not used within the contiguous united states.
To make matters worse, some wellrespected style guides recommend the first. Note also that apa style guidelines prefer the use of united states as a noun over america, and u. Apr 25, 2014 if you write your press releases in ap style, get ready to start spelling out massachusetts a lot more often. When the name of a state name appears in the body of a text, spell it out. Professor spell out mildred berg, a native of carbondale, comma illinois, yesterday criticized both president spell out lyndon johnson and the united states constitution spell out. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Ap style seems to allow for multiple spacesaving adaptations for headlineslike using numerals in headlines, but spelling out numbers under 10 in the body of the text. When searching for height in the ap stylebook, it refers readers to the dimensions entry. At bka, we prefer ap style, which is a standard in journalism. United states is usually only spelled out when part of a proper name or quote. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Nov 06, 2015 in the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style numbers. In the 16th edition, the entry on us versus united states said, in running text, spell out united states as a noun.
In running text, spell out united states as a noun. Aug 07, 2012 the prime minister left for the united states yesterday. The results of your search have been divided into the following tabbed sections. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended to a city name for example, santa ana, calif. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science. Many newspapers, magazines and public relations offices across the united states use ap style. Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. The change is being made to be consistent in style for domestic and international stories, as international stories traditionally spell out state names in the body of stories. However, i was always told that very few abbreviations are to be used in formal writing, and the abbreviation u. Spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone. In order to uphold the integrity and image of the department, it is essential to use a consistent writing style. It wasnt about my prose, reporting, or lede, but that i neglected to abbreviate september. It focuses on clear and concise writing, with each paragraph only being about two or three sentences long. Apr 26, 2014 effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories.
If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. In apa style, united states should always be spelled out when it is used as a noun or location. In headlines under ap style, however, its postal style us no periods. Until the 17th edition, chicago style was to spell out the noun in running text, but abbreviate the adjective as us. The associated press has already raised considerable ire with its decision to make over an acceptable substitute for more than, but it isnt finished making changes to its widely used stylebook.
Associated press ap style checklist associated press style is a form of writing used primarily by journalists and public relations professionals. The chicago manual of style, 15th edition 2003 comes out strongly in favor of spelling out united states. One of the most heatedly debated over the years is the spelling of web site ap or w. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. Wildfires continued to rage through southern california yesterday. Ap style ap style standing alone spell out the names of. For other organizations, spell it out on first mention, then use abbreviations for subsequent. Get your the smart writers simple ap style cheat sheet guide now. But before getting into that, lets get it out of the way first to note that if your usage of the country name is a noun, spell it out rather than abbreviating it. States spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone.
1296 753 1443 913 1328 988 738 499 234 698 1065 1353 668 1001 183 413 197 608 164 1471 460 762 946 1439 9 466 1428 362 1271 107 318 1389