5: AP Style Essentials
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AP Style Essentials
Associated Press style, or AP style for short, is a set of rules that governs how journalists worldwide write news stories.
Not to be confused with APA style, which is for organizing academic papers and the references within them, the purpose of AP style is to ensure that newswriters follow a standardized way of writing everything from ages and street addresses to dates and job titles, regardless of the platform.
Simply put, it’s how it’s done in the news business, and beginning journalists won’t last long in a newsroom without being familiar with and using AP style.
While there are separate stylebooks professional journalists may follow that cover some of the finer points of online writing and broadcasting style, most journalists follow AP style for any type of text-centered media including newspapers, online news sites (which includes the online products of most broadcast news outlets), magazines, and most social social media posts published to official profiles.
AP style has been around for more than 100 years and is considered the gold standard for newswriting. It ensures that commonly used phrases and story elements are formatted in a way that is easy for readers of serious news outlets around the world to recognize and understand.
AP style provides guidelines for writers at newspapers and other mass media outlets in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. The guiding principles behind AP style are: consistency, clarity, accuracy and brevity.
The AP Stylebook – available in both print and digital formats – is a seemingly endless list of do’s and don’ts for newswriters. Besides an A-to-Z listing of guidelines for capitalization, abbreviation and usage, it also contains sections covering business, data journalism, health and science, religion, sports, media law and more.
The book can be intimidating for some at first, and it’s easy to wonder how you’re ever going to memorize it all. The beauty is, you don’t have to. The basic rules soon will become second nature without realizing it. Once you’re familiar with what’s there, you need only look up a specific style rule while writing your news story. The AP Stylebook is meant to be used as a desk reference, and the sooner you learn those core common elements, the sooner you will realize you’re only pulling out the guide for somewhat obscure or unusual terms.
What is the Associated Press?
The Associated Press is an American-based news organization that has thousands of members around the globe. These media members, operating as an independent nonprofit cooperative, produce news, feature and sports stories, photos, videos and other content that is shared with other media members for a fee.
Journalists working for a media outlet in Southern Illinois, for example, could see their content appear in dozens of other newspapers or websites.
Founded in 1846, the AP has been providing unbiased and factual reporting and real-time updates for nearly 170 years. It is also known for providing election results and conducting polling, including the popular NCAA top 25 football and basketball polls in season.
The first publicly available AP stylebook was published in 1953 and was about 100 pages, although the AP had been issuing brief style pamphlets since around 1900. Nearly a quarter century after the first publication, the stylebook received a complete overhaul, and it is the 1977 version that is regarded as the benchmark for future editions. Editors added more entries and put them in alphabetical order, making the book easier to use.
Today, AP style in book format is over 600 pages and published every two years; it’s updated regularly in digital format. It is a living document that is constantly changing. Something that was a rule five years ago may no longer be the rule today.
Here’s what AP editors observed in introducing the first version of the AP Stylebook in 1953:
“The English language is fluid and changes incessantly. What last year may have been very formal, next year may be loosely informal. Word combinations, slogans and phrases are being added and becoming part of the language…“Because of the constantly changing usage, no compilation can be called permanent. Nor can any one volume be infallible or contain all the wisdom and information of the ages.”
There is not always a definitive right or wrong in every AP style rule. There can be gray areas and sometimes even contradictions. Writers and editors may need to make judgment calls based on common sense, and in some cases, like the New York Times, adopt their own local style rules.
The print edition of the AP stylebook costs about $20 and is available from Amazon or at your campus bookstore. The online version, a searchable guide that is updated throughout the year, costs about $30 and includes a dictionary and monthly updates. It is available at apstylebook.com or ap.org.
Common AP style rules
There are more than 5,000 AP style rules, some relatively obscure, others used every day by working and aspiring journalists. Here are some of the most-common entries you will need to know: (Editor’s note: The following list may not include every rule found under a particular entry. Consult the stylebook if clarifications are needed.)
Abbreviations and acronyms
Abbreviate many titles when used before a name: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Sen. Rep., the Rev., Gen., etc., but not Mayor, Councilman, Chancellor, etc. Rule of thumb: If it’s not in the stylebook, spell it out.
If a title is used before a name, it should be capitalized and generally is abbreviated: Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. When titles come after the name, they should be lowercase and not abbreviated:
Right: Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, spoke at the rally.
Wrong: Joe Biden is the President of the United States.
Titles are never capitalized without a name: A senator, mayor and secretary of state all walked into a bar.
Do not continue to use the title before a name after the first reference unless it’s in a direct quote.
In most cases, acronyms are not used on first reference, such as SIUE (avoid alphabet soup.) Some exceptions are FBI, CIA, NAACP, NASA, GOP, etc. For more examples, consult the stylebook. AP style suggests to avoid acronyms and abbreviations that are not widely and commonly known.
Generally, omit periods in acronyms unless the result would spell out a word. Example: C.A.R.D., C.O.R.E. Use periods in most two-letter abbreviations: U.S., U.N., D.C. (Ironically, not AP).
Avoid using courtesy titles before a name (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) on all references (except in quotes or if your media organization requires it.)
Addresses
Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. with numbered addresses, otherwise spell out Avenue, Boulevard and Street. (All similar words are spelled out: Alley, Drive, Road, Terrace, etc.)
Right: The White House is on Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House is at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Spell out First through Ninth streets, but use numerals in addresses for 10th and above. North Ninth Street, but North 10th Street. (This is in keeping with the rule that says generally spell out numerals one through nine, but use figures for 10 and above. There are exceptions, see Numerals.)
Always use figures for an address number: 9 Morningside Circle.
Abbreviate compass points in numbered addresses: 22 N. Ninth St., but otherwise spell out: He was traveling north. Thus, you would write: John Smith of 22 N. Ninth St. (not “who lives at” or “whose address is” … This is why we have AP style.)
Ages
Always use figures for ages. (This is an exception to the rule of spelling out one through nine in text). The girl is 3 years old. The law is 8 years old. Note that when used as an adjective before a noun or as a substitute for a noun, use hyphens: a 3-year-old girl, the 8-year-old law.
Write name, age and address like this: John Smith, 30, of 22 N. Ninth St., Edwardsville (not 30 years of age or who is 30 … This is the purpose of AP style.) But 30-year old John Smith is all right in some cases.
The woman is in her 30s (no apostrophe).
Separate two numbers, such as age and address, with “of”. So you would write: John Smith, 30, of 22 N. Ninth St. (This avoids the awkward construction of having two numbers run together.)
Capitalization
Capitalize proper nouns, proper names, company names, compositions, titles and abbreviations, among other things. But avoid unnecessary capitalization.
Use lowercase for the common noun elements of names in all plural uses: Democratic Party, the party, the Democratic and Republican parties; Main and State streets; the Mississippi River, the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the river.
Dates
Use Arabic numbers only — March 1, April 2 (without the st, th, rd or nd). (Beware: Word often will put these in automatically.)
Days of the week
Spell out, do not abbreviate in news copy (Friday, not Fri.)
Doctor
Use Dr. on first reference as a formal title for medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, etc. “Dr. Bob Smith” but “Bob Smith is his doctor.
Drs. is the plural form. Do not continue to use the title in subsequent references.
Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees. Instead, say “Bob Smith, who has a doctorate (or PhD) in philosophy. (However, use your own judgment. At a campus newspaper, for example, it may be that publication's in-house style rule to use Dr. as a title before the names of all people who have doctorate degrees.)
Months
When a month is used with a date, abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. The paper is due Feb. 22.
However, spell out these months when used alone or with a year: December is the coldest month of the year. She hasn’t worked since November 2019. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate with commas.
Wrong: She hasn’t worked since November, 2011.
But when a sentence has a month, day and year, set off the year with commas.
Right: The ship sank on April 15, 1918, after hitting an iceberg.
Get rid of the “of” between a month and a year.
Wrong: November of 2015.
Names
Use a person’s first and last name on first reference but only use last names on second and subsequent references.
When two people in a story have the same last name, repeat the first and last names on subsequent references, unless the context of the story makes it clear who you are talking about.
Use first names for children 15 and younger on subsequent references, unless they are involved in a serious crime or are athletes or entertainers. Use your judgment on people ages 16-17.
Numerals
Generally, spell out one through nine and first through ninth in news stories, except for: ages, addresses, distance, dimensions, fractions, time, dates, dollars and cents, height and weight, highway designations, legislative districts, number sequences, percent, speed, temperatures, sports scores and vote totals. (See stylebook.)
Right: Ricky is in the fourth grade. There were only six people in the theater. She is 9 years old. He lives at 7 Sycamore Drive. He walked 4 miles to school. The storm dumped 9 inches of snow.
Don’t begin a sentence with a numeral, except when referring to a calendar year. Otherwise, spell it out or rewrite the sentence.
Right: Fourteen-year-old Tommy Smith won the award. Tommy Smith, 14, won the award.
Wrong: 933 freshmen entered SIUE last year.
In number sequences, use a hyphen: A pay increase of 12-15 percent. Youths ages 13-17 are invited. The City Council passed the bill by a vote of 10-6.
State names
Spell out the names of the 50 U.S. states when they stand alone in story text: The Missouri woman was caught speeding through Illinois.
Abbreviate states when used with datelines except Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah, which are always spelled out. But in news stories, spell out all state names that come after cities.
Wrong: Springfield, Ill.
Right: Springfield, Illinois.
No need to put states behind major cities, like Chicago, Denver, etc. For smaller cities, use states to avoid confusion: Nashville, Illinois.
Time and time elements
Always follow this simple rule: Time, Date, Place.
Right: The event will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Meridian Ballroom.
Use figures for time, but don’t put 12 before noon and midnight.
Right: 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 9-11 a.m.
Avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning. Use the day of the week instead.
Right: 10 a.m. Thursday.
Use the days of the week, not today, tonight and tomorrow, in news stories.
Spell out time sequences, except in sports copy.
Right: The speech was 26 minutes, 30 seconds long. But: He ran the race in 1:12:31.
Author Bio
Gary Dotson is a national award-winning journalist who has extensive experience in digital and print journalism. For three decades, he was senior editor at the Belleville News-Democrat and BND.com in Illinois, which is owned by McClatchy. In recent years, he has been working remotely with newsrooms across McClatchy as an editor and supervisor. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri Columbia and a master’s degree in mass communications from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he has been teaching a basic newswriting class for the past 12 years.