Key AP Style Guidelines

Why This Matters

AP Style isn't just a set of arbitrary rules—it's the foundation of professional journalism that ensures consistency, clarity, and credibility across newsrooms. When you're writing for publication, editors expect you to know these conventions cold. More importantly, understanding why these rules exist helps you make smart choices when style guides don't cover a specific situation.

You're being tested on your ability to produce clean, professional copy that follows industry standards. Don't just memorize individual rules—understand the underlying principles: clarity over complexity, consistency over creativity, reader accessibility over writer preference. When you grasp these concepts, you'll handle any style question thrown at you, even unfamiliar ones.

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Clarity Through Consistency: Numbers and Numerals

The core principle here is simple: readers process information faster when formatting is predictable. AP Style's number rules create visual consistency that helps readers absorb facts quickly in news copy.

The Basic Number Rule

• Spell out one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above—this is the foundation of all AP number style
• Numerals always win for specific measurements—ages, percentages, dimensions, and scores use figures regardless of size (e.g., 5 years old, 7 percent, 2-1 victory)
• Context determines format—the same number might be spelled out or written as a numeral depending on what it's measuring

Ages

• Always use numerals for ages—no exceptions, even for ages under 10 (e.g., The boy is 5 years old)
• Hyphenate ages used as adjectives before nouns—a 5-year-old boy, but the boy is 5 years old
• Use "years old" instead of "aged"—cleaner, more conversational phrasing that matches AP's preference for accessible language

Dates and Times

• Abbreviate months with specific dates—Jan. 1, 2023 (with comma before year), but spell out months standing alone: January 2023
• Use figures for time with lowercase a.m. and p.m.—include periods in the abbreviations (9 a.m., not 9 AM or 9am)
• Comma placement matters for dates—separate day from year with a comma, and add a comma after the year if the sentence continues

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Professional Presentation: Names and Titles

These rules establish hierarchy and formality in your copy. How you present names and titles signals respect, accuracy, and journalistic convention to your readers.

Titles and Names

• Capitalize formal titles before names; lowercase after—President Joe Biden on first reference, but Joe Biden, president, in subsequent mentions
• Full names on first reference, last names thereafter—establishes who you're writing about, then maintains flow
• Skip courtesy titles unless relevant—Mr., Mrs., Ms. are generally unnecessary in news copy; use them only when they add meaning to the story

Capitalization

• Proper nouns get capitals; common nouns don't—this seems obvious, but watch for tricky cases like "the president" (common) vs. "President Biden" (proper)
• Position relative to name determines case—the same title changes based on placement: "Mayor Jane Doe" but "Jane Doe, mayor of Springfield"
• Headlines and titles follow their own rules—capitalize principal words in composition titles, but news headlines often use sentence case

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Reader Accessibility: Abbreviations and Locations

AP Style prioritizes reader comprehension over writer convenience. These rules ensure that abbreviations and place names don't confuse or slow down readers.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Two-letter abbreviations use periods; three-letter acronyms don't—U.S., U.N. (with periods), but NASA, NATO (no periods)
• Spell out on first reference if abbreviation will be used again—"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced..." then use NASA thereafter
• Skip unfamiliar abbreviations entirely—if readers won't recognize it, spell it out every time or find alternative phrasing

States and Cities

• Abbreviate states with cities; spell out when standing alone—Atlanta, Ga. (with city), but Georgia voters (alone)
• Use AP abbreviations, not postal codes—Calif., not CA; Fla., not FL; these are journalism conventions, not mailing conventions
• Full city-state on first reference—establish location clearly, then use just the city name in subsequent mentions

Addresses

• Abbreviate Street, Avenue, Boulevard with numbered addresses—123 Main St., 456 Park Ave., 789 Sunset Blvd.
• Spell out street types when standing alone—"The parade will proceed down Main Street" (no abbreviation without a number)
• Always use numerals for address numbers—1000 Elm St., never "One Thousand Elm Street"

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Precision in Attribution: Quotations and Punctuation

These rules govern how you present others' words and ideas. Proper quotation handling protects you legally and maintains your credibility as a journalist.

Quotations

• Quotation marks for direct quotes only—paraphrased material never gets quotes, even if it closely follows the source's words
• Attribute with neutral verbs—"said" is almost always your best choice; "stated," "claimed," and "argued" carry connotations
• Punctuation placement follows specific rules—periods and commas inside quotes, colons and semicolons outside

Punctuation

• Single space after periods—the double-space convention died with typewriters; news copy uses one space
• Skip the Oxford comma unless clarity demands it—AP Style omits the serial comma in most cases (red, white and blue)
• Quotation mark punctuation is non-negotiable—"like this," not "like this", for commas and periods

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. A story mentions "the 7 council members voted 4-3." What's wrong with this sentence, and how would you fix it?

2. Compare how you would write the Texas governor's title in these two sentences: "_____ Greg Abbott signed the bill" and "Greg Abbott, _____ of Texas, signed the bill."

3. Which of these time formats is correct: "9 AM," "9 a.m.," or "9am"? What's the rule governing this?

4. You're writing about a speech in "Los Angeles, CA." What AP Style error have you made, and what's the correct format?

5. Compare and contrast: When would you use "The 5-year-old boy" versus "The boy is 5 years old"? What grammatical principle determines the hyphenation?