Ap style state abbreviations

When you introduce the handy table with abbreviations, i think you should list the five states that are short and are not abbreviated in ap style e. Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. As you can see, there are many guidelines for writing proper ap style state abbreviations in your text. Some state names are not abbreviated because they have six or fewer letters. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. Since when do you not capitalize both letters of a state abbreviation. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended. Instead, simply use the abbreviation the second time that you refer to the organization. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. These official state abbreviations have all been standardized by the united states postal service. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free download. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested.

Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. The thumb rule for the basic ap style state abbreviations is that one should never abbreviate the term if the readers will face difficulty in figuring out what the actual term is. We will also continue to use canadian provinces in datelines. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. Ap style, or chicago manual of style for additional rules and guidelines for writing about states and other locations. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. Referring to the ap style guide again, were told to use figures except for noon and midnight.

These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of twoletter u. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Chapter sixteen brights, followups, roundups, sidebars and obituaries. We will continue to use state abbreviations in datelines and stories. 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. Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star popular quizzes today. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, text books and more. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.

However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase twoletter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as an option. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. Note that with the traditional state abbreviations, the first letter is capitalized, subsequent letters are lowercase unless theyre abbreviating a new word, and each abbreviation. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. Abbreviations for states and provinces traditional abbreviations for states and provinces begin with a capital letter and end with a period. The most important objective of any form of writing is to help human beings recognize what you are attempting to say and give an explanation for. For example, they can be used in writing after a city like in miami, fla. However, if the sentence contains the name of another country, the. When youre in the body of a press release, ap style stresses spelling out the name of the state rather than using abbreviations of any kind. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training.

Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content. 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. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Apr 15, 2020 i really like your map of the ap style for state abbreviations. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. For external communication we use the associated press stylebook 2017 for all public documents and materials, excluding correspondence from the administrator and deputy administrator. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. Since when do you not capitalize both letters of a state.

If youre writing a research paper or dashing off a blog post, you can probably ignore all the exceptions and special cases. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. Apr 23, 2014 the following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.

Ap style also calls specifically for lowercase abbreviations for a. Ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Ap postpones changing style on state abbreviations apme. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. If youre referencing time zones in the united states, no periods are required and the zones can go in all caps. Jul 21, 2016 in ap style, you shouldnt follow the name of an organization with the abbreviation offset by parentheses or dashes. Ap sticks to the usps abbreviations when the full address is provided in the text. The main objective of any type of writing is to help people understand what you are trying to say and explain. How to abbreviate united states erin wright writing.

The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Style rules examples academic degrees use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name. For example, washington state is a university in the state of washington.

There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. Associated press style provides guidelines for news writing. State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. State abbreviations follow the postal service abbreviations for states found in the front of the metro denver telephone book. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. State abbreviations random miscellaneous or united states quiz can you name the ap style u. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. 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. If this structure makes the connection between the entity and the abbreviation unclear, its best to just skip using the abbreviation. For all other abbreviations, ap uses its own state abbreviations and chicago prefers postal abbreviations but has its own state abbreviations should that style be more appropriate for your publication. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. Short for associated press and briefing on media law, the ap stylebook or even shorter, ap style is an english grammar style and usage guide created by american journalists working for or connected with the ap over the last century to standardize mass communications.

Aug 01, 2018 the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Click a question below to jump straight to its answer. States in the us are often abbreviated to twoletter words alaska ak. Its often used by news organizations, magazines, and web publications, but brands often use it to form the basis of their own style guides, too. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. State abbreviations are all two letters, and these two letters are always capitalized without any periods. When punctuating state names, you should place a comma between the city and state, and another comma after the state name, unless the state name is ending.

The domestic list of cities that stand alone is on page 79 of the 2010 ap stylebook, and it is a good idea to mark this page with a sticky note of some sort so it is easy to find and you never list the state, country or territory unnecessarily. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations for print publications.

Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code abbreviations in. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. In this quick guide to state abbreviations, i will cover the differences between ap style and chicago style andjust to prolong your state of confusionwhen to use the common twoletter abbreviations created by the united states postal service if youre writing a research paper or dashing off a blog post, you can probably ignore all the exceptions and special cases and just lean on. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with a brief, supplementary note on the history of the same. Time of day the hour is always followed by a colon to denote minutes and a. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Oct 31, 2019 ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. Jun 21, 2018 thats where the ap stylebook comes in. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations.

Okay, so new is stretching it a bit, but some writers may be unaware that in 2014 ap changed the rule regarding how state names should be. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. However, writers of most newspapers use the ap style state name abbreviations in their articles ex. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. In 1987, the secretary of commerce switched to the twoletter state alpha code for state abbreviations. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. The national rifle association announced on monday it will move its state headquarters to the erickson building. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party affiliation. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the.

Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook. Titles titles should never be capitalized unless they appear before a persons name. Hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, utah, and alaska. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. The thumb rule for the fundamental ap style state abbreviations is that one has to in no way abbreviate the term if the readers will face the issue in identifying what the actual term is. Sba marketing and promotional materials follow the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law, though we do have a few exceptions that are noted in this guide. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. On wednesday, professor james currier, who has a doctorate in biology and a masters in economics, will argue that improving automobile fuel efficiency from an average of 17 to 22 miles per gallon would save billions of dollars and protect endangered. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. Here are all the ap abbreviations and their usps counterparts. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines.