Capitalize congressman and congresswoman before a name. More than just a collection of rules, the ap stylebook is part dictionary, part encyclopedia and part textbook. Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations when the individual letters are pronounced. However, if you are a journalist or business writer who follows the associated press stylebook ap, you will abbreviate the state using the traditional state abbreviations below. I strongly prefer the spelledout style because it eliminates confusion about the name of the state. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Associated press style essentials this ap short guide is. The associated press stylebook, first published in 1977, clarified the news organizations rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage.
An abbreviation, lets take gb from above, is not an acronym. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Editorial guide brand and style guidelines university of arkansas. When youre working with ap style numbers, times or dates, its acceptable to use several standard abbreviations. Abbreviate and capitalize most titles when they are used directly before a name. The ap style abbreviations arbitrarily range in length from two to six letters, and all twoword names are abbreviated with the initials, such as n. Acronyms are formed by the first letter of each word in a phrase. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content.
Below are the 50 ap style state abbreviations postal code abbreviations are in parenthesis, alabama. Too many, the ap style guide warns, produces alphabet soup. Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms when the reader would not quickly identify what it stands for. Maybe it should be two letters for two words and four letters for one word. An acronym is a word formed where each letter corresponds with a separate word. Some organizations are usually referred to by only their acronym because it is widely recognized like fbi or cia. The ap stylebook states to not follow an organizations full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parenthesis or set off by dashes. Ap style guide for state abbreviations makes no sense. Use serial commas before a conjunction in a series of items. Use only an initial cap and then lowercase letters for acronyms of more than six letters, unless otherwise listed in the ap stylebook or merriamwebsters. Some publications do abbreviate words like terrace, road and drive, and some even lowercase all letters of the abbreviation, but most follow the above guidelines.
A serial comma is a comma that comes before the final conjunction and, but, or. Title capitalization tool capitalize my title title. The most common, such as nasa, fbi and cia, can be used on all references. Whats the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym. Ap style rules regarding time use figures except for noon and midnight. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations in broadcast copy. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. If you have a specific question that isnt addressed in the usagov platform style guide, consult the united states government publishing office style manual. The associated press stylebook and websters new world college dictionary are the primary references for all university communications. Nov 21, 20 this rule also applies to standalone letters, as in the students all received as. Editorial guide brand and style guidelines university of. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. The classic, practical spiralbound edition now is published every other year.
Abbreviate names of months more than five letters when followed by a. Ap style is email changed from email, but other e words are hyphenated. Avoid using multiple acronyms or abbreviations in a sentence unless their meaning is clear. Now in its sixth edition, the stylebook is the standard style. An acronym is a word formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words. Abbreviations are words or phrases that have been shortened.
Dec 12, 2020 when youre working with ap style numbers, times or dates, its acceptable to use several standard abbreviations. Ap style guide, and other online resources, including scribd, purdue university and towson university. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number. Short guide to acronyms, including capitalization, use of periods, articles and. Definitions an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. A primer on the ap style rule for acronyms bka content. The prime minister left for the united states yesterday. Apr 05, 2021 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. When the formal titles directly precede a name, capitalize and. For all titles in ap style, there is no underlining or italicizing. Put the city name in capital letters, usually followed by the state, country or.
Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. See page 75 in the associated press stylebook 2019 or page 73 in the associated press stylebook 20202022 for the aps list of two letter country abbreviations. Use the two letter postal service abbreviations only with full addresses, including zip code. To form the plural of words made out of a group of letters, add the letter s. For spelling, compounding, style, and usage questions that are not covered by the ap stylebook, ap recommends consulting websters new world college dictionary, 5th ed. Unless an exception is listed in the purdue style guide, the ap stylebook should be followed. For abbreviations that end with a period, such as ed. The chicago manual of style says, use no periods with abbreviations that appear in full capitals, whether two letters or more and even if lowercase letters appear within the abbreviation.
Colorado state university writers style guide august 2007 use a or an before an abbreviation depending on how the abbreviation is pronounced. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of. The chicago manual of style advises against the use of periods with abbreviations that appear in full capitals and ap stylebook recommends using periods in most two letter abbreviations. Never use an abbreviation that will not be easily understood. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations in print copy. When an abbreviation is two letter initials, do not separate with a space s. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download.
But this is only necessary for longer abbreviations when the letters in an initialism would spell an unrelated word otherwise. A place for twoletter state abbreviations businesswritingblog. See the abbreviations and acronyms, numerals and military units entries in ap stylebook. Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. Associated press stylebook cheat sheet abbreviations and acronyms as a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations. Postal service abbreviations only with full addresses, including zip code. The ap therefore strives to keep its writing style easy to read, concise and free of bias. Dont abbreviate if there isnt a city name before the state. A quick guide to abbreviations in ap style proofeds. Punctuating abbreviations in ap style in terms of punctuation, the aps general advice is to use periods between letters in twoletter initialisms, such as u.
In terms of punctuation, the aps general advice is to use periods between letters in two letter initialisms. Ap stylebook, 55th edition spiralbound print published in 2020, the 55th 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, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation. The chicago manual of style and other sources should be used when the editorial style guide and ap stylebook dont provide guidance for any specific issue. Punctuating abbreviations in ap style in terms of punctuation, the aps general advice is to use full stops between letters in twoletter initialisms, such as u. These arent always the same abbreviations the mail carrier uses. Editorial guide brand and style guidelines university. Use all caps, but no periods, in longer abbreviations and acronyms when the individual letters are pronounced.
Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, and utah. It is an eclectic source of information for writers and editors of all publications. Do not abbreviate alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. The ap style state abbreviations is not the same as state postal abbreviations. The following quick reference is taken from the associated press stylebook and. If there are three or more letters there is no period after each letter. Writing principles usagov platform style guide usagov. Style guide and defense imagery style guide, along with established army public affairs style, or.
Use the abbreviations below, as outlined by the associated press stylebook and libel manual. In terms of punctuation, the aps general advice is to use periods between letters in twoletter initialisms, such as u. Capitalization of academic degrees the blue book of. The state abbreviations always consist of two capital letters without any space or period in it. Associated press style is used for the listing of locations. Find out what is the full meaning of ap on abbreviations. The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used. Ap style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the associated press but is also used widely throughout journalism. Abbreviations the shortened form of a word or phrase and acronyms words formed from the initial letters of a phrase are commonly used in technical writing. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.
See our full page on abbreviations and acronyms for a more in depth discussion on their differences. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies. For example, radar if formed from radio detecting and ranging. Ap style holds that acronyms are formed from the first letters or letters of a series of words.
Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Use the twoletter state postal abbreviation only in mailing addresses. The two letter postal state abbreviations mi should only be used in full addresses. Abbreviating months and days editing and writing services. Styles are taken from the 2014 ap stylebook, 2010 yahoo.
If the first letter is pronounced with a vowel sound, use an. Aug 14, 2012 follow the ap stylebook on acronym usage. Jan 28, 2019 the rest can have two or three letter abbreviations i cheat and use the twoletter style. The united states postal service department has standardized the official state abbreviations for its 50 states. The information below highlights some key guidance as well as critical areas in which nij style deviates from ap. Because using a 4 letter technique on new york would be newy. Addresses writing style guide western michigan university. Abbreviations united states as a noun, united states. To form a plural of a single letter, use s and an apostrophe. In some fields, including chemistry, medicine, computer science, and geographic information systems, acronyms are used so frequently that the reader can feel lost in an alphabet soup. Sep 04, 2019 abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date such as sept. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. Ap style guide for state abbreviations makes no sense spudart.
Written style guidelines office of marketing and communications. Jul 07, 2019 in general, newspaper style guides in the united states in particular, the associated press stylebook ap and the new york times manual of style and usage recommend u. The associated press stylebook recommends capitalizing a degree specialty on a resume only if its a proper noun. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Also on first mention, spell out abbreviations or acronyms. Marine corps news style guide ii marine expeditionary force. Why do we use the ap stylebook as our primary style guide. However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase two letter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as an option. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are. If an acronym is more than five letters long, the general ap style. You can find the list of preferred abbreviations under months in the ap stylebook. Associated press style cheat sheet compiled with assistance from online resources, including scribd, purdue university and towson university abbreviations and acronyms as a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations.
States spell out the names of the states in text when they appear alone. Capitalization of academic degrees the blue book of grammar. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines, unless they are needed for clarity. The atlantic hurricane is most likely to hit the east coast cities of jacksonville, florida, savannah, georgia, and charleston, south carolina. When pluralizing an italicized abbreviation, remember not to italicize the s, as in ps. All similar wordsalley, drive, road, terraceare always spelled out. Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date. Typically, acronyms consist of all capital letters and do not include periods. Aug 21, 2006 two letter abbreviations make sense for states that are two words. Do not use periods for most acronyms, but do use periods for two letter acronyms. The chicago manual of style distinguishes between acronyms, initialisms, and contractions, all under the umbrella of abbreviation. Jack gillespie, rowan university, purdue university writing lab and ap stylebook page 2. If there are fewer than three letters, use periods after each letter.
Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. The american psychological association apa publication manual, which is used for writing academic papers, agrees about using the periods. In terms of punctuation, the aps general advice is to use periods between letters in twoletter initialisms. Associated press stylebook abbreviations and acronyms academic titles.
More important than blindly following rules, the communications department seeks to make. Here are a few answers to common style issues, based on the ap stylebook. To form a plural of multiple letters, add s with no apostrophe. Capitalize abbreviations if the words they stand for would be capitalized, otherwise stick with lower case.
When first referencing someones name, use their full name. It may consist of a group of letters, or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase. Use only an initial cap and then lowercase for abbreviations and acronyms of more than five letters, unless listed otherwise in this stylebook or websters new world college dictionary. Use united states postal service twoletter state abbreviations, with no.
The associated press stylebook and websters new world college dictionary. A quick guide to abbreviations in ap style proofeds writing tips. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. Some of them are the same as the two letter postal abbreviations. Chicago style follow chicago style for writing nonu. Prefixes use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel reentry, antiinflammatory.
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