AP Style Guidelines

Set of vocabulary flashcards based on the AP Style ‘Cheat Sheet’ notes for student journalists.

AP Stylebook

The style guide that professional media use, available in print, app, or subscription.

Local Style Guide

An internally created guide for school- and community-related topics that may differ from AP Style.

Abbreviate months

Months with six or more letters are abbreviated when used with specific dates.

Numerals for time

Use numerals, a space, lowercase letters, and periods for a.m. and p.m. (e.g., 7 p.m.).

Full names

Use full names on first reference for all people; use only last names on second reference.

Formal titles

Only capitalized when they appear immediately before a name; not for job descriptions.

Lowercase titles

Terms like sophomore, junior, senior, and freshman are lowercase unless at the start of a sentence.

Spell out numbers

Spell out numbers under 10 except in specific exceptions such as dates or times.

Monetary amounts

Do not spell out; use numbers without extra zeros (e.g., $6, not $6.00).

Possession with apostrophes

Apostrophes show possession and should not be used to pluralize acronyms or numbers.

Quotation marks

Place around almost all composition titles; capitalize the first letter of full-sentence quotes.

Billion

A numeric threshold corresponding to one thousand million (1,000,000,000).

Percentage

Spell out 'percent' and use numerals for percentages (e.g., 4 percent).

Team nouns

'Team' and the name of the school are singular; school mascots are usually plural.

Capitalization of sports

Names of sports and their competitive levels are not capitalized.

What numbers do you spell out?

Numbers under ten

Do you capitalize PRINCIPAL?

No. Lakeview High School principal Elizabeth Auer

Do you ever capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior or senior?

NO. Unless it is the first word of a sentence. The other two post players returning for the Hokies are rising redshirt-junior Cadarian Raines and rising sophomore Joey van Zegeren. "I'm getting stronger, ...

How do you abbreviate Boulevard?

Blvd

Proper use of First...

First

Proper use of Tenth...

10th

Proper use of Drive in an address...

Drive

Proper AP use of Road in an address

Road

Proper use of 21 year old student

21-year-old student

Proper use of thirties

30s

Proper AP style for books

Italics

Proper AP style for songs

"Paparazzi" or italics

Proper AP style for 3/30/1978

March 30, 1978

Proper AP style for the1990s

'90s

Proper AP style for height

5-foot-3

Proper AP style for names

Always use full names

Which of the following do you not use...

Mr. or Mrs.

Proper use for millions...

$1 million

Proper use for money...

$25.52

Proper use for money...

$8

Proper use for money

6 cents

How many spaces are after a period?

One

Should commas go inside quotation marks?

Yes - ex. "I did nothing wrong," he said.

When should you spell out the name of a state?

When it stands alone.

When can you use abbreviations for states?

When it is next to a city. There are exceptions that include Iowa.

Proper use of time...

1 p.m. or 3:30 a.m. or noon, but don't ever use :00

Should you capitalize occupations or grade level?

No. defense attorney Arnold Becker

second baseman Bobby Richardson

futurist Rad Bradbury - sophomore John Law

principal Bacon

What is the purpose of AP style?

Consistency, Clarity, Accuracy, Brevity

Should you capitalize titles?

Yes. President Obama

Should you spell out numbers under ten for ages?

No

When should you use numbers for ages?

Always

What is the correct way to write a person's height?

5-foot-3

When should you use a person's first and last name?

The first time he or she is mentioned

What is the abbreviation for Iowa?

Iowa

How do you write three thirty correctly?

3:30 a.m.

How do you write 3 p.m. correctly?

3 p.m.

How do you correctly use website or web site?

website

How do you correctly use email?

e-mail

If you have a question what book that is laying around the news lab should you use to find answers to AP style questions?

Associated Press Stylebook 2012

For addresses what should you abbreviate for street names?

Ave. Blvd. and St.

For addresses what street names should you spell out?

Alley Drive and Road

What is the best way to attribute a person in a quote?

"Life is a box of chocolates," Forest Gump said. "Filled with all different kinds of sweets."

When do you use an abbreviation for an organization?

When do you not use an abbreviation?

• Use full name of organization on first reference, *abbreviation after*.

• Use abbreviations on first reference for well-known terms only: *CIA, FBI, NASA, CBS*.

• Do not follow an organization's full name with an abbreviation in parenthesis.

• If an abbreviation/acronym is not clear on the second reference, *do not use it*.

When do you use periods in abbreviations?

When do you not use periods in abbreviations?

• Use periods for abbreviations of two letters: *U.K., U.S., U.N., B.C.*

• No periods for abbreviations of three or more letters.

How do you write about academic degrees?

When do you lowercase academic degrees and when do you capitalize?

When do you use academic degrees?

• When you have a choice, pick the most *reader-friendly* way to state academic degrees.

• Lowercase:

- Majors ("mass communications major)

- Fields of study ("political science")

- The term "master's degree"

- The term "bachelor's degree"

• Capitalize:

- Official degree names ("Bachelor of Arts")

• Use academic degrees (Ph.D., B.A., M.A.) only when necessary.

• Use title "Dr." on the first reference only when referring to a medical doctor.

When do you use figures for a specific address and when do you spell out the number?

• Always use figures for a specific address: ("She lives at *7* Mockingbird Lane.")

• Spell out First-Ninth for street names: ("135 *First* St.")

• Use figures for 10th and above for street names: ("802 *10th* Ave.")

When do you use abbreviation and not use abbreviation in street addresses?

When do you use periods and when do you not?

When do you lowercase addresses?

• Abbreviate with a specific numbered address:

- Street (*St.*)

- Avenue (*Ave.*)

- Boulevard (*Blvd.*)

- Compass Points (222 *E.* 42nd St.)

• Do not abbreviate:

- Formal street names w/o a numbered address (*Oak Street*)

- Compass points w/o a numbered address (*East 42nd Street*)

• Use Periods:

- *P.O.* box numbers

• Do not use periods:

- Quadrant abbreviations (*NW, SE*) unless customary locally

• Lowercase:

- Two or more streets (*Oak, Elm, and Maple streets*)

What is the difference between "admit" and "acknowledge"?

• *Admit* and *admitting* may erroneously suggest wrongdoing.