

Other acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but not required (i.e. For courtesy titles, use these on second reference or when specifically requested.

Please note, that medical and political titles only need to be used on first reference when they appear outside of a direct quote. are required before a person’s full name when they occur outside a direct quotation. Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are acceptable but not required in some contexts. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules. The Associated Press Stylebook provides an A-Z guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Some guiding principles behind AP style are:ĪP style also aims to avoid stereotypes and unintentionally offensive language. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. The content of newspapers and other mass media is typically the result of many different writers and editors working together. For a complete guide to AP style, writers should consult the most recent edition of the Associated Press Stylebook or visit the AP Stylebook website. This Web page is intended to provide an introduction to AP style and a summary of some AP style rules however, the Associated Press Stylebook includes more than 5,000 entries – far more than can be covered here.

Although some publications such as the New York Times have developed their own style guidelines, a basic knowledge of AP style is considered essential to those who want to work in print journalism. Many newspapers, magazines and public relations offices across the United States use AP style. IntroductionĪssociated Press style provides guidelines for news writing. For more information, please consult The Associated Press Stylebook 2012, 47 th edition. This resource, revised according to The Associated Press Stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of AP style. 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.
