The biggest differences between chicago style and the u. Can you name the ap style rules state abbreviations test your knowledge on this geography quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others. Note that ap style omits state names for a specified list of cities. In order to uphold the integrity and image of the department, it is. I stopped trying to educate the educator and just edited their stuff each time to the the ap style of state abbreviations. Spell out all state names in sentences when they arent preceded by a city, county or a military base name. Heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines 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. There is also a list of old style abbreviations used to refer to us states before the us postal service switched to twoletter state abbreviations. The associated press stylebook, the usage guide for most united states newspapers, counsels the use of abbreviations for most state names, when appended. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. The worlds most comprehensive professionally edited abbreviations and acronyms database all trademarksservice marks referenced on this site are properties of their respective owners. If a states name is standing alone or in conjunction with a city or town in your text, spell out the entire states name.
If you have any advice for working with acronyms or any lingering questions, please let us know in the comments section. Ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. Can you name the ap style rulesstate abbreviations test your knowledge on this geography quiz to see how you do and compare your score to others. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. The postal code for arizona, where amendola communications is headquartered, is az whereas the ap style abbreviation is ariz. In this post, we will summarize all of the ap stylebook state abbreviations rules. This resource, revised according to the associated press stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of ap style. Editorialthe previous uc santa cruz guide to editorial style input from uc santa cruz editorial staff ur, admissions, registrar. Sep 19, 2012 professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. The postal code for california is ca, but the ap style abbreviation is calif. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Choose from 196 different sets of state abbreviations ap style flashcards on quizlet. 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. These abbreviations allow automated sorting iso 31662.
State abbreviations are all two letters, and these two letters are always capitalized without any periods. So, i am providing a reference for those who may be interested. Founded in 1846, ap today is the most trusted source of independent. Currently, most state names are abbreviated in stories. Only if the section of an individual state is wellknown do you capitalize it. As you can see, there are many guidelines for writing proper ap style state abbreviations in your text. However, there are exceptions for large cities that stand alone in datelines. Learn state abbreviations ap style with free interactive flashcards. These abbreviations short names were used in mailing addresses before the introduction of twoletter u. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding us postal service abbreviations, are in parentheses. 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. Please note the order of polytechnic and state when referring to pomona and san luis obispo.
Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list. Those states are alaska, hawaii, idaho, iowa, maine, ohio, texas, and utah. Of course, use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in most datelines. This article explains the capitalization of state names. The change is being made to be consistent in our style for domestic and international. Spell out the names of the 50 states when they stand alone in. 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. States in the us are often abbreviated to twoletter words alaska ak. Capitalize common nouns and their distinguishing modifiers in names of associations, societies, companies, streets, etc. But many organizations now favor these state abbreviations because they are short, consistent, and familiar to. A primer on the ap style rule for acronyms bka content. California state university, office of the chancellor please note channel islands, maritime and san marcos do not have a comma in their formal names. In fact, the sheer number of conflicting guidelines can make you feel like youve driven right off the grammar map.
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. Professional journalists and business communicators in the united states commonly write in associated press ap style. Government printing office are 1 chicago style allows for abbreviation even if the name of another country appears in the sentence 3 and 2 chicago style recommends us unless the document uses periods to abbreviate state names, in which case u. Founded in 1846, ap today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. However, the chicago manual of style now recommends use of the uppercase twoletter abbreviations, with the traditional forms as an option. Effective may 1, the ap will spell out state names in the body of. Oct 03, 2019 the state of california is beginning to collect data on gender identity, and on cal state apply the platform all students use to apply to the csu, students are able to choose other options when selfidentifying on their application. State abbreviations according to ap style gatehouse newsroom. 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. The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text. The associated press style is the goto style for journalism and news writing.
Here is how each state is abbreviated in ap style with the postal code. Ap style states that when referring to the names of a nation, directions should be lowercased unless they are officially part of the countrys name. Abbreviations abbreviate junior or senior after a name, but dont use a comma. Also, be sure to use a lowercase state in both of these instances to avoid any confusion. For example, they can be used in writing after a city like in miami, fla. 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. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. The ucop style guide university of california brand guidelines.
The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. These official state abbreviations have all been standardized by the united states postal service. Ap style guide quick reference the difference between academic writing and ap style most, if not all, of the documents created by the department are shared with the public, the education community and the media. The names of each state represent specific places and must be capitalized. 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.
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. Follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Mar 14, 2015 ap style for states abbreviations march 14, 2015 a. Military titles can usually be shortened see ap stylebook 2010military titles pg. However, when referring to a city and the state in which it is located, although chicago recommends retaining the spelledout version of the state name san diego, california, ap style calls for abbreviating the state name san diego, calif. Apr 23, 2014 ap is not done rocking the journalism world with style changes. The table below shows the us postal service usps abbreviation for each of the united states, districts, territories, and possessions. See datelines for guidelines on when a city name may stand alone in the body of a story. 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.
Ap style rulesstate abbreviations quiz by elsieviste. Quiz by elsieviste ap style rulesstate abbreviations quiz. 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. Much of this confusion stems from differences between the primary style manuals, as demonstrated below. Ap stylebook rules for datelines, cities that stand alone. The following guidance went out on the ap wire wednesday. Also use state abbreviations in conjunction with the name of a city, county, town, village or military base in. The associated press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Diversity style guide csu california state university. The aps standard reference for spelling is websters new. Ap style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language.
An interactive geography lesson about abbreviations of states. Here are a few more common errors that journalists make when copy editing for ap style. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. For example, washington state is a university in the state of washington. Ap style state abbreviations differ from their corresponding united states postal service abbreviations, provided in parentheses. This style guide for the uc santa cruz campus is based on. Any state name may be condensed, however, to fit typographical requirements for tabular material. For your reference, weve also included a link to the official government website, the old style state abbreviation and the capital. 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. Only if the section of an individual state is wellknown do you. The associated press stylebook at uams the university of arkansas for medical sciences uams has adopted the associated press ap guidelines for grammar, punctuation and writing style. Use the state abbreviations listed at the end of this section.
The university of arkansas for medical sciences uams has adopted the associated press ap guidelines for grammar, punctuation and writing style. Ap style holds to the general rule of lowercasing compass directions and capitalizing regions. Canadian provincial and territorial postal abbreviations are used by canada post in a code system consisting of two capital letters, to represent the provinces and territories on addressed mail. Before we begin to enlist the abbreviations, it is mandatory for one to learn and garner information about what ap is, with. There is indeed a science and art behind writing a press release. Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date. Ap style state abbreviations for press release dateline follow these associated press guidelines for the u. Aug 05, 2015 heres a refresher course what the ap stylebook says for datelines and cities that stand alone in datelines 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.
The associated press stylebook states that in contexts other than mailing addresses, the traditional state abbreviations should be used. Iso adopted the existing canada post abbreviations. In conjunction with the name of a city, town, village or military base in text. Ap style recommends spelling out state names in the body of stories effective may 1, 2014 and using abbreviations in datelines.
In order to create a playlist on sporcle, you need to verify the email address you used during registration. The ap stylebook says state abbreviations are used in both datelines and in text. On any given day, more than half the worlds population sees news from ap. However, writers of most newspapers use the ap style state name abbreviations in their articles ex. Ca identifiers second elements are all the same as these.
For example, the hurricane move north towards the gulf coast. Unfortunately, we dont have such fixed boundaries for how to abbreviate united states. The associated press stylebook provides a uniform presentation of the printed word to make copy written anywhere understandable everywhere. For example, the western united states is full of open land. The chicago manual of style online is the venerable, timetested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Ap stylebook type search query into the search bar below. For headlines, the new rule says to avoid abbreviating states whenever. States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a shortform political affiliation. Aug 15, 2019 our company uses ap style and i receive info from an educator on a weekly basis. However, there are a few other grammar rules to be aware of when it comes to writing the names of states.
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