The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) is used by professionals to maintain a standard form of writing. These rules are essential for journalists, editors and public relations practitioners to know. AP style can differ slightly from familiar forms of writing. The AP Stylebook is a reference book that includes sections for each aspect of writing.
Biggest Differences From Other Forms of Writing
A big difference for many writers is the lack of an oxford comma. In AP style, commas are used in a series but not before the conjunction. The final comma is only included if the sentence meaning would otherwise become unclear or if series is complex. The final comma is also needed when a series element requires a conjunction.
Examples: “We saw starfish, agates and seaweed at the beach.” “For dinner we had salad, mac and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.“
Addresses and States
AP differs from the postal format of writing addresses and abbreviations. The abbreviations for a full address are “Ave.” “Blvd.” and “St.” but only when used with a full numbered address. These are the only accepted abbreviations within a street address, words like “road” or “drive” must be spelled out.
Examples: “His house is on Hartfield Street, but she lives at 429 Greyhound Blvd.” “The taxi drove me to 34 Cherry Drive.”
Another difference is AP style will always use a numerical figure within the address. However, when referring to a street name, spell out and capitalize First Through Ninth and use numerical figures for numbers 10 and above.
Examples: “Maria lives at 1 University Avenue.” “John walked down Fourth Street.”
States are also referred to differently. States do not use the postal code abbreviations, the AP stylebook has it’s own abbreviations for each state. There are eight states which will never be abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. States do not follow the two-letter ZIP code abbreviation that are used by postal services.
Example: “Illinois is abbreviated to Ill. for AP style.”
The biggest thing to keep in mind when writing addresses in AP style is that the format is completely different than a mailing addresses that would be written on a letter or package.
Other Standard Rules
When talking about money, numerical figures are always used. If discussing amounts less than a dollar, the word “cents” is used. For anything above a dollar, use the $ sign and decimal system.
Example: “He had $4.50 left in his wallet after buying coffee.” “She gave me 25 cents.”
For time, numerical figures should be used except for noon or midnight. Colons should be used to separate hours from minutes. The time of day “a.m.” and “p.m.” should be in lowercase.
Example: “It was noon when she called.” “He woke up at 6:30 a.m. this morning.”
Refer to the Book as Needed
These are not the only rules for AP style. The AP Stylebook is to be used throughout the writing process as needed. The book is structured by an A-Z guide of words and terms, which is followed by sections. Categories like punctuation, business and sports have their own sections with useful terms and phrases. If you are ever unsure about a specific rule, remember to check the AP Stylebook.
