Capitalize days of the week, but do not abbreviate.
If you refer to an event that occurred the day prior to when the article will appear, do not use the word yesterday. Purdue University was founded May 6, 1869.
Do, however, use an apostrophe before figures expressing a decade if numerals are left out. Use the letter s but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. and Dec.Ĭommas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but commas should be used to set off a year if the date, month and year are given. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. Spell out the month unless it is used with a date. Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates, and use Arabic figures. He reads the Bible every morning.ĭo not underline or italicize any of the above.įor dates and years, use figures. Examples: The Washington Post first reported the story. Examples: Author Porter Shreve read from his new book, “When the White House Was Ours.” They sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game.ĭo not use quotations around the names of magazine, newspapers, the Bible or books that are catalogues of reference materials. Use quotation marks around the titles of books, songs, television shows, computer games, poems, lectures, speeches and works of art. He is in his 20s.īooks, Periodicals, Reference Works, and Other Types of Compositions Don’t use apostrophes when describing an age range. If the age is used as an adjective or as a substitute for a noun, then it should be hyphenated. 10th St., 605 Woodside Drive.įor ages, always use figures. Grant St., Northwestern Avenue, South Ninth Street, 102 S. Here are some examples of correctly formatted addresses: 101 N. If a street name is a number, spell out First through Ninth and use figures for 10th and higher. If the street name or directional cue is used without a numbered address, it should be capitalized and spelled out. Always spell out other words such as alley, drive and road. and directional cues when used with a numbered address. The context should govern such decisions.Īs a general rule, though, you should avoid what the Associated Press Stylebook calls “alphabet soup.” Consult the Associated Press Stylebook for specific cases.įor numbered addresses, always use figures. Other acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but not required (i.e. For courtesy titles, use these on second reference or when specifically requested. Please note, that medical and political titles only need to be used on first reference when they appear outside of a direct quote.
are required before a person’s full name when they occur outside a direct quotation.
Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are acceptable but not required in some contexts. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. The Associated Press Stylebook provides an A-Z guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Some guiding principles behind AP style are:ĪP style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. The content of newspapers and other mass media is typically the result of many different writers and editors working together. For a complete guide to AP style, writers should consult the most recent edition of the Associated Press Stylebook or visit the AP Stylebook website. This Web page is intended to provide an introduction to AP style and a summary of some AP style rules however, the Associated Press Stylebook includes more than 5,000 entries – far more than can be covered here. 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. Many newspapers, magazines and public relations offices across the United States use AP style. IntroductionĪssociated Press style provides guidelines for news writing. For more information, please consult The Associated Press Stylebook 2012, 47 th edition. This resource, revised according to The Associated Press Stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of AP style. These resources provide an overview of journalistic writing with explanations of the most important and most often used elements of journalism and the Associated Press style.