Ap style state abbreviations

However, if the sentence contains the name of another country, the. Also, be sure to use a lowercase state in both of these instances to avoid any confusion. States in the us are often abbreviated to twoletter words alaska ak. Jun 21, 2018 thats where the ap stylebook comes in. Click a question below to jump straight to its answer. These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of twoletter u. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name.

Rate 5 stars rate 4 stars rate 3 stars rate 2 stars rate 1 star popular quizzes today. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. Abbreviations for states and provinces traditional abbreviations for states and provinces begin with a capital letter and end with a period. The national rifle association announced on monday it will move its state headquarters to the erickson building. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. 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. We will continue to use state abbreviations in datelines and stories. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. Jul 21, 2016 in ap style, you shouldnt follow the name of an organization with the abbreviation offset by parentheses or dashes. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and. Use the aps state abbreviations with place names only in lists and tabular material, or shortform listings of party affiliation. For words that you cannot find in our ap style list, use the firstlisted abbreviation in websters new world dictionary. Mastering the ap style rules for abbreviations bka content.

Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of ap style used in answers. 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. Since when do you not capitalize both letters of a state abbreviation. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. State abbreviations are not the same as the twoletter postal codes.

Ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. For example, they can be used in writing after a city like in miami, fla. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Here are all the ap abbreviations and their usps counterparts.

Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. 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. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories.

The main objective of any type of writing is to help people understand what you are trying to say and explain. These official state abbreviations have all been standardized by the united states postal service. 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. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. It wouldnt be ap style without an exception or two. If youre referencing time zones in the united states, no periods are required and the zones can go in all caps. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for abbreviations for print publications.

For all others, include the abbreviated state name andor country name, not abbreviated. Instead, simply use the abbreviation the second time that you refer to the organization. However, writers of most newspapers use the ap style state name abbreviations in their articles ex. Ap sticks to the usps abbreviations when the full address is provided in the text. If youre writing a research paper or dashing off a blog post, you can probably ignore all the exceptions and special cases. Mar 14, 2015 below is a list of ap style state abbreviations. State abbreviations are all two letters, and these two letters are always capitalized without any periods.

Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Referring to the ap style guide again, were told to use figures except for noon and midnight. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Ap style does use periods in most twoletter abbreviations. Titles titles should never be capitalized unless they appear before a persons name. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing. Time of day the hour is always followed by a colon to denote minutes and a.

Do not use periods in abbreviations that are in headlines. Generally ap style omits periods in acronyms, unless doing so would spell an unrelated word. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. Ap style also calls specifically for lowercase abbreviations for a. 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. 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. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended. Hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, utah, and alaska. A few universally recognized abbreviations are required in some circumstances. These are nprs photo caption guidelines npr training. Ap suggests spelling out the names of alaska, hawaii, and all states with five or fewer letters. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. Ap editor david minthorn fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online ap stylebook.

Associated press style provides guidelines for news writing. Ap style, or chicago manual of style for additional rules and guidelines for writing about states and other locations. 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. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. 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. 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. State abbreviations random miscellaneous or united states quiz can you name the ap style u. 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. Editorial style guide csu california state university. The change is being made to be consistent in our style for domestic and international. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. As you can see, there are many guidelines for writing proper ap style state abbreviations in your text. How to abbreviate united states erin wright writing.

If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. You will still use abbreviations in datelines, photo. Ap itself along with gi and eu are exceptions to this rule. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. State abbreviations follow the postal service abbreviations for states found in the front of the metro denver telephone book. 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 how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code abbreviations in. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online.

Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. If a style is not noted, please refer to the current associated press stylebook. 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. 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. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. 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. Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. Apr 15, 2020 i really like your map of the ap style for state abbreviations. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. You can find abbreviations discussed in the publication manual in section 4. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested. Apr 23, 2014 the following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday.

Sep 19, 2012 ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Since when do you not capitalize both letters of a state. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. Ap postpones changing style on state abbreviations apme. Oct 31, 2019 ap uses different state abbreviations than the usps does. Abbreviations are often desired in tabulations and certain types of technical writings. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. 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. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text.

Chapter sixteen brights, followups, roundups, sidebars and obituaries. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. Welcome to ask the editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the ap stylebook. 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. Ap style isnt keen on using state abbreviations in titles, so spell them out. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. This style guide provides recommended usage on words, phrases and punctuation when writing about and for the csu. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. Some state names are not abbreviated because they have six or fewer letters. 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 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. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print books guidance. We will also continue to use canadian provinces in datelines.

What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. 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. 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. The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used. However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase twoletter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as an option. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section. 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. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines. If this structure makes the connection between the entity and the abbreviation unclear, its best to just skip using the abbreviation. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. 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. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in.