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Generally speaking, AP style uses title case for headlines, which means all words are capitalized except for certain short words, such as articles and short prepositions. In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
The AP Stylebook is widely used as a writing and editing reference in newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. The spiral-bound Associated Press Stylebook, 57th Edition, includes new chapters on artificial intelligence and criminal justice, plus a detailed checklist for self-editing.
In AP Style, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized in headlines. Follow story style in spelling, but use numerals for all numbers and single quotes for quotation marks. Exception, US, UK, and UN (no periods) in all headlines.
- Numbers. One through nine are spelled out, 10 and above are figures (Arabic numerals). If a sentence begins with a number, it should be spelled out or the sentence rewritten.
- Time and dates. Month, day: Use numerals for days without st, nd, rd or th and abbreviate the months August through February when used with a date: “Feb.
- Cities and states. Datelines: Put the city name in capital letters, generally followed by the state or country, and then a long dash. Certain large cities can stand alone; see the AP Stylebook for a listing.
- Phone numbers. Area codes and country codes get no special treatment and aren’t preceded by a 1 or plus sign. Use hyphens between groups of numbers: “He dialed 617-123-4567 and crossed his fingers.”
Sexual assault on college campuses has made headlines for years, but The Associated Press sought to determine whether it also is a problem among younger students and, if so, to what extent.
Ask the Editor: Highlights. Ask the Editor is a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the AP Stylebook. AP Stylebook editor Paula Froke fields questions posed by subscribers to AP Stylebook Online. Below is a sampling of recent questions Paula has answered.
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The spiral-bound Associated Press Stylebook, 57th Edition, includes new chapters on artificial intelligence and criminal justice, plus a detailed checklist for self-editing. Specialized chapters cover sports, business, punctuation, religion, data journalism, inclusive storytelling, health and science, news values, and polls and surveys.
