Thewildfire began incalifornia and moved east toward carson city,nev. The new york times style guide, contrary to ap style, abbreviates maine as me. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. 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. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories. For external communication we use the associated press stylebook 2017 for all public documents and materials, excluding correspondence from the administrator and deputy administrator. Hiroshima on aug, 6, 1945, this japanese city and military base were the targets of the first atomic bomb dropped as a weapon. Our guidelines are drawn from associated press ap style because it is easy to use and familiar to a broad audience. Register to view your products, order status, shipment trackings and manage your account settings. 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. Use the abbreviations below, as outlined by the associated press stylebook and libel manual. For example, washington state is a university in the state of washington.
However, writers of most newspapers use the ap style state name abbreviations in their articles ex. If a state s name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire state s name. 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. The new york times ran a graphic on monday that included two extinct postal abbreviations for maine and texas. Those are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah.
These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of twoletter u. If ap stylebook entry does not cover a word or specific usage, refer to the websters dictionary. Abbreviations abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. Several sets of codes and abbreviations are used to represent the political divisions of the. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. There are eight states that are never abbreviated in datelines or text. Lowercase state and federal when used as an adjective to distinguish something from state, county, city, town, or private entities. States should also be abbreviated when used as part ofa shortformpolitical affiliation. 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 explosion had the forse of 20,000 tons 20 kilotons of tnt.
State abbreviations in ap style differ from the twoletter zip code abbreviations. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. Ap style at a glance by christina smith infographic. Ap style spell out those state names im not sure why theres all this kerfuffle over aps directive today that as of may 1 the style is to spell out all state names in text.
State abbreviations are all two letters, and these two letters are always capitalized without any periods. 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. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines. Associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon.
In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. Plase one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence or indicating a dateline. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. You should always spell out alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code abbreviations. Colon capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. If an abbreviation needs to be used, use ap state abbreviations, not u. 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. Hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah are never abbreviated. Never abbreviate alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. 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.
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. For example, they can be used in writing after a city like in miami, fla. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In running text, spell out the names of states whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village, or military base. 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 and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. Government printing office style manual 2016 is used for internal communication. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of stories. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. If you cant find what youre looking for in this guide, check the online ap stylebook first our preferred dictionary is merriamwebsters collegiate. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested.
Alaska, hawaii, texas, ohio, iowa, idaho, maine and utah. Geographic regions and states editorial style guide. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of. All states are spelled out in the body of the text. There are quite a few rules in the ap stylebook for state names and ap style state abbreviations. I really like your map of the ap style for state abbreviations.
Ap style state abbreviations if you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. States by ap style abbreviations states in the us are often abbreviated to twoletter words alaska ak. Use the twoletter postal service abbreviations only with full addresses, including zip code.
Styles are taken from the 2014 ap stylebook, 2010 yahoo. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. In ap or chicago style, the postal abbreviation is only used for representing actual postal addresses, or in lists and tables where space is at a premium. Only use twoletter postal codes in full mailing address with zip. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. State abbreviations in ap style are not the same as the twoletter postal code. Spell out state names when they stand alone but abbreviate when accompanied by a city, e. There are eight states that should never be abbreviated in text or datelines. State names should be spelled out in the body of a story, whether used alone or in conjunction with a city or town.
Enclose state in commas, even if used as an adjective. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. Associated press style in a nutshell texas wing civil.
However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase twoletter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as. If you want to know all about the ap style state abbreviations, you have been a wise soul to click on this article. Capitalization of city and state compiled by marla sharp, rpr, clr, ccrr, csr page 1of 6 rules by ap stylebook, bad grammargood punctuation, chicago manual of style, gregg reference manual, and morsons suggests capping. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Nyt still using dated abbreviations for maine, texas the. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used.
I visited the ut systems 15 institutions in the state of texas. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. You must register and have a current subscription to access ap stylebook online register now. These official state abbreviations have all been standardized by the united states postal service. The ap stylebook is a writing style guide for journalists. Associated press style colorado department of transportation. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. Those states are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. The official website for the state of texas provides access to state and local government agencies. Do not use postal codes instead of state abbreviations not ok but okla. Abbreviations for states and provinces traditional abbreviations for states and provinces begin with a capital letter and end with a period.
Do not abbreviate alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah. But many organizations now favor these state abbreviations because they are short, consistent, and familiar to americans, even if me makes little sense to foreigners. Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, the ap stylebook is a musthave reference for writers, editors, students and professionals. Ap style guides headline writing and most journalism, though, so i cant speak to whether their rule has changed or if this is just a case of bad proofreading. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. Postal service abbreviations only with full addresses, including zip code. When did become ok to drop the comma after a state. Check merriamwebsters after youve referenced the ap stylebook. Use the state abbreviations not the postal abbreviations indicated below in lists, tabular material, and shortform listings of party affiliation. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. It is published and updated annually to reflect changes in writing style and new guidelines. It destroyed more than four square miles and killed or injured 140,000 people, according to an official count taken between august and december 1945. Alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas and utah.
As you can see, there are many guidelines for writing proper ap style state abbreviations in your text. Top 10 ap style guide 2016edits university of texas at. Remember that, in datelines, the city name is in all capital letters. Style guide and defense imagery style guide, along with established army public affairs style, or common usage. Abbreviate all other states as they are listed on our ap style state abbreviations page. Chicago and ap differ on some traditional abbreviations. Except in mailing addresses with a zip code, or with other. If necessary, follow it with the state abbreviation not the u.
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