AP STYLE BOOTCAMP

A guide to accompany your Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2009

DATES / MONTHS
• See p. 181
• Capitalize names of all months
• Only abbreviate when there's a date, too
• Only abbreviate months with more than 7 letters

ADDRESSES
• See p. 4
• Only abbreviate Ave., Blvd. and St. when with a numbered address
• Spell out all others (i.e.: Road)
• Use figures for house number
• Use periods in P.O. Box
• Abbreviate states as described on p. 262

DATELINE
• See pp. 77-78
• City name in ALL CAPS
• Major US cities need no state listed
• Abbreviate states as described on p. 262

NUMBERS, NUMERALS
• See pp. 197-199
• Spell out one through nine
• Use digits for 10 and higher
• To start a sentence, spell out a number OR rewrite sentence
NAMES, TITLES

NAMES
• See p. 186
• Use first & last name on first reference
• Use last name only on second reference

COURTESY TITLES (MR., MRS., ETC.)

• See p. 72
• No courtesy title on first reference
• No courtesy title on second reference

TITLES (FORMAL TITLES)

• See pp. 276-277
• Use lowercase unless immediately before name

ALSO SEE AP STYLE BOOK FOR

• Academic titles (p. 3)
• Composition titles (p. 65-66)
• Legislative titles (p. 158)
• Military titles (p. 177-179)
• Religious titles (p. 240)

PUNCTUATION!
• See "A Guide to Punctuation" chapter, pp. 352+
• Use standard, American punctuation rules in most cases
• Pay special attention to commas (esp. in a series), pp. 355-357

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