Except in formal reference, identify by the year, rather than the roman numerals ordinal numbers numbers used to indicate order first, second,10th, 25th, etc. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. For a general rule, spell out zero through nine, and use numerals for 10 and above. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a really good one is worth a thousand dollars. The 2019 edition of the associated press stylebook and briefing on media law includes more than 200 new or revised entries, with chapters covering data journalism, business, fashion, food, religion and sports terms, as well as media law, news values, punctuation, social media, polls and surveys and a new chapter on health and science.
May 25, 2006 q why has ap changed its style on phone numbers to use a hyphen instead of parentheses. Numbers that begin a sentence should be spelled out. Numerals fractions, decimals onethird, twofourths spell out with hyphen if clean fraction is less than 1 1. In chicago style, as opposed to ap style, we would write four hundred, eight thousand, and twenty million with no numeralsbut like ap, chicago style would require numerals for 401.
Aug 08, 2017 you should use it to reference the numbers you have omitted when not writing out the complete year. Someone asked us on twitter, and the ap stylebook s ask the editor page has the answer. As i understand it, chicago style is to elide the first two digits of the fourdigit second number if they are the same as the first two in the first number of the range. Its a reference book that defines rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation and usages. The associated press stylebook and briefing on media law official style guide of the associated press, a notforprofit news agency thats been around since 1846. You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals. The first edition of the book was 203 pages, which has since evolved into a book that is more than 1,000 pages. After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. How to format phone numbers in ap style pen and the pad.
Associated press style quick reference guide to subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the book, start here. The exceptions to the rules are often familiar examples that you neednt try to remember. Ive never heard anyone say its the hyphen between the dates on our gravestone that matters. Ap stylebook issues update on numerals riverbed marcom. How do i write dates, times, numbers, and measurements using.
All of the numerals will carry dollar signs except when discussing cents. Use a period and numerals to indicate decimal amounts. Spell out numbers only to ten, use numbers for 11 and up, and dont be concerned about matching style when you refer to quantities on both sides of the tipping point. Without a content style guide, its incredibly challenging to maintain uniformity especially when working with clients in diverse industries. Spell out whole numbers up to and including nine, and use numerals for the rest. Every time we see one of these misspellings, we cringe. As of 2019 ap has changed to allow use of the percent sign % instead of spelling out the. What follows are summaries of some of the most common style rules.
Newspaper style and less formal writing and much of online content hews closer to ap style, which derived from the rules for associated press newspaper articles. Chicago and ap agree, do not use st, nd, rd, or th on date, even though you pronounce it. Spiralbound book, updated each spring 2019 ap stylebook. Gabe mccarthy, 15, and latonya smith, 10, won the prize. In apa style, the rules for presenting numbers apply to the presentation of grade numbers.
Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are always spelled out. The best ap style cheat sheet every writer needs free. You should use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or things. How do i write dates, times, numbers, and measurements. How to format numbers in associated press style pen and the pad. However, roman numerals should be avoided when discussing the super bowl 1969 super bowl, for example, rather than super bowl iii. A guide to punctuation in the associated press stylebook and libel manual.
How well do you know how numbers are used in associated press style. To subscribe to the associated press stylebook online, or to find out about purchasing hard copies of the. Because apa style is used for scientific and clinical writing, numbers are often included. The associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. The associated press recognizes only one allamerica football and basketball team each year. Ap says the percentage sign now ok when used with a. Rules by ap stylebook, bad grammargood punctuation. The ap style numbers guidelines are extensive, but they dont have to be confusing. The chicago manual of style differentiates numerals from words as well.
Generally speaking, we follow the guidelines outlined in the ap stylebook. Jul 21, 2015 the topic of when to write numbers out and when to use numerals concerns and confounds a lot of people americas two most influential style and usage guides have different approaches. This style guide is mainly used in most longform publishing. Decimalization should not exceed two places in textual material unless there are special circumstances. The ap stylebook says the percentage sign is now acceptable when paired with a numeral in most cases. Generally, you should use ages in for profiles, obituaries, significant career milestones, and achievements unusual for the age. On friday, stylebook editor paula froke announced the latest round of. Followers of chicago style can spell out occasional references to amounts of money that are whole numbers. 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. The associated press stylebook prefers the ambiguous word figure to refer to number symbols e.
It covers much more than the ap stylebook, which generally covers only common words and their usage. This is a complex topic, with many exceptions, and there is no consistency we can rely on among blogs, books, newspapers, and magazines. Writers, editors, students and public relations specialists find it invaluable. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per ap style. Why, in many book titles that include ranges of years, is chicago style for inclusive numbers not followed.
This resource, revised according to the associated press stylebook 2012, offers examples for the general format of ap style. Covering the ap style rules on numbers could be a novel in itself. When following ap style, numbers zero through nine are typically written in word form, while numbers 10 and above are written as cardinal numbers. Ap style was developed and is maintained by the associated press, the worlds oldest news service. The first publicly available edition of ap stylebook was published in 1953 under the title the associated press style book. In general you should spell out numbers one through nine in ap style. Here are four examples of how to write numbers above 999,999 in ap style. In general, spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for numbers 10 on up. In chicago style, as opposed to ap style, we would write four hundred, eight thousand, and twenty million with no numerals but like ap, chicago style would require numerals for 401. Within that theme, business reporters constantly encounter recurring ap style rules.
The concert will be february 10, 2016, at carson music hall. Nasa is planning to launch 5 unmanned probes to jupiter, which is 482,564,600 miles from the sun. The associated press, the ap copy book, and ap writing handbook. If youre new to news writing or switching from one to another, youll want to keep this ap cheat sheet handy and refer to it when in doubt. The ap stylebook says to make reference of age when it is deemed relevant to the situation. An exception to spelling out numbers for planes, ships, etc.
Associated press style basics journalists resource. The associated press, a guide for foreign correspondents. Ap style is simply a standardized way of writing everything from dates to street addresses to job titles. The ap style as its known in the trade is quite different from the new york times style or chicago manual of style. Apr 26, 2017 ap style numbers spell out the numbers one through nine. If we all follow ap style guidelines we will make our marketing messages unified and cohesive.
Im going to cover some basics, and if you have specific questions on ap style numbers, please leave it in the comment field below and ill answer it fast. Aug 12, 2015 covering the ap style rules on numbers could be a novel in itself. Ap stylebook online numerals in general, spell out one through nine. Generally speaking, fpac follows the guidelines outlined in the ap stylebook. In football, only walter camps selections through 1924, and the ap selections after that, are recognized. Thats why, at straight north, we defer to the associated press stylebook for grammar rules and spelling clarifications. Jul 21, 2015 the topic of when to write numbers out and when to use numerals concerns and confounds a lot of people.
Do not use s for plurals of numbers or multiple letter combinations bullets associated press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. To these valid concerns, i responded youll know your beat, and within your beat youll quickly learn the ap style rules required. Numbers the following quick reference is taken from the associated press stylebook and libel manual, sixth trade edition. Jul, 2019 one of the first things a student in a beginning journalism course learns about is associated press style or ap style for short. Nov 06, 2015 in the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style numbers. Unfortunately, these examples show up frequently on tv, in the press and on marquees. But chicago style also has tons of exceptions, especially for. For those of you unfamiliar with the associated press stylebook, its the journalists bible. A close look reveals that there are plenty of rules hiding among the many crossreferences. How to format numbers in associated press style pen and. Use figures when referring to money, whether dollars or cents. Q why has ap changed its style on phone numbers to use a hyphen instead of parentheses.
May 07, 2009 the associated press was founded more than 150 years ago and now has thousands of employees working in more than a hundred countries for a readership that numbers in the millions. In body copy, we at fpac prefer to spell out numbers one through nine, and use numerals for numbers 10 and greater. The associated press stylebook provides an az guide to issues such as. But remember, these represent only a tiny fraction of whats in the ap stylebook, so dont use this page as a substitute for getting your own stylebook. Ap says the percentage sign now ok when used with a numeral. Its often used by news organizations, magazines, and web publications, but brands often use it to form the basis of their own style guides, too. For ages and percentages, always use arabic numerals, even for numbers less than 10. Use commas to set off each group of three digits in numerals. For slide presentations of ap style basics, go here.
There are specific stylistic instructions for weights, measurements, parts of speech and usage. Ap style numbers spell out the numbers one through nine. In fact, the associated press stylebook ap style doesnt allow decades to be written as words. Do not call anyone an allamerica selection unless he is listed on either the camp or ap roster.
To establish a style for your web site or blog, keep in mind that gurus of online content advise using numerals, which are easier to scan and most site visitors scan before they read, if they read at all, but note that the ap rule about using numerals for numbers you can count on your fingers still applies. Book style leans more toward spelling things out, so in this style you spell out not just numbers less than nine but above, too. There are many exceptions that always take figures, however. Control yourselves or we will make you spell out phone numbers in the 17th edition. Crucial to accurately using ap style on measurements is appropriate use of numbers, as most units of measurement are attached to a numeral. Just remember that specific numbers as in measurements and large quantities often require a figure. Select the sentence free of errors in ap style for addresses, abbreviations, capitalization and numerals in broadcast copy. Rules for writing numbers the blue book of grammar and. Journalists adhere to style guidelines when writing articles. Capitalize the word room when used with the number of the room.
Apostrophes are generally used in contractions and to indicate the possessive case, but they are not used to form plurals of numbers and abbreviations in apa style. According to ap style, roman numerals should be used in the personal sequences of people and animals world war i as well as some legislative acts title ix. If no usage is specified, spell out numbers below 10 and use figures for numbers 10 and above. Use arabic numerals for numbers with two or more digits. The associated press stylebook recommends spelling out the numbers zero through nine and using numerals thereafteruntil one million is reached. By the way this is an indispensable tool for every content creator at riverbed. Numbers one through nine is generally spelled out, while 10 and above are generally written as numerals. How to write numbers in apa style style guidelines from the american psychological association apa help writers maintain a uniform way of writing. For cardinal numbers, consult individual entries in the associated press stylebook.
The basic ap style rule on numbers is that numerals less than 10 are spelled out, while 10 and greater are represented numerically. Writing center quick reference associate press style guide. Associated press ap style is most often used by news and journalism writers to present consistent and clear writing to the consumer. In body copy, we prefer to spell out numbers one through nine, and use numerals for. Its updated throughout the year and valuable onlineonly resources, including ask the editor, topical guides and pronunciation guide, expand on the print book s guidance. Numbers the ap stylebook entry for numerals is deceptively short. Numbers one through ten are spelled out in ap style. Let us know if you struggle with one of these exceptions.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. For a general rule, spell out zero through nine, and use numerals for 10. Generally, spell out one through nine, use numerals for the rest. A common mistake people make is to include apostrophes when pluralizing a number or an abbreviation. Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, text books and more. In general, you should spell out all numbers one through nine and use figures only for numbers 10 and above. Chicago manual of style 16 books and ap stylebook 2015 media agree unless noted. Do not call anyone an allamerica selection unless he is. In the past we discussed how to correctly use ap style title case, and now were here to tackle the often confused topic of ap style numbers. Ap stylebook online is a searchable, customizable resource for writers and editors. If you commit one rule to memory each day, in just two weeks you will become an ap numbers master. Americas two most influential style and usage guides have different approaches. When discussing ap style numbers, we must address a few of our pet peeves when it comes to incorrect usage.