Associated Press Style (commonly "AP Style") refers to the conventions codified in the Associated Press Stylebook, first published in 1953 by the Associated Press news cooperative. The Stylebook is updated regularly—annually in print and continuously online for subscribers—and functions as the default style guide for most U.S. newspapers, wire services, broadcast outlets, government press offices, and many NGO and think-tank communications shops.
The guide covers spelling, capitalization, punctuation, numerals, datelines, attribution, and the treatment of titles, place names, and contested terminology. Some of its better-known conventions include:
- Spelling out numbers one through nine and using numerals for 10 and above.
- Omitting the serial (Oxford) comma in simple series.
- Using courtesy titles sparingly and identifying officials by full name on first reference, last name thereafter.
- Following specific datelines (e.g., GENEVA — for a story filed from Geneva).
- Distinct entries for politically sensitive usages, such as guidance on "migrant" vs. "refugee," "Palestinian territories," or "climate change" vs. "global warming."
AP Style is distinct from other major guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style (favored in academic publishing), the MLA Handbook (humanities scholarship), and the in-house style guides of outlets like The New York Times, The Economist, or Reuters. The differences matter for researchers: a Model UN delegate or think-tank junior researcher quoting a wire story should preserve AP conventions, while academic papers typically convert to Chicago or APA.
For political research, AP Style also shapes how breaking news is framed: its rulings on terminology (for example, when to use "terrorist," "insurgent," or "militant") can influence how millions of readers perceive an event, since hundreds of subscribing outlets republish AP copy verbatim. Tracking changes to the Stylebook is therefore a useful, if underappreciated, way to monitor shifts in mainstream journalistic norms.
Example
In 2019, the AP Stylebook updated its entry on "they" to accept the singular pronoun as a gender-neutral reference, a change quickly adopted by outlets such as USA Today and the Los Angeles Times.
Frequently asked questions
The rules themselves are not copyrighted as ideas, but the Stylebook itself is a paid product. AP sells print editions and an online subscription; some libraries provide access.
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