How to Format a Book Review in Associated Press Style
A comprehensive guide to the AP style of writing
The Associated Press Stylebook (a.thousand.a. AP Stylebook) is to journalists what HubSpot is to content marketers: the industry "bible."
For more than 50 years, journalists have turned to AP Way for everything from grammar and style rules to trusted best practices. But for content writers and content marketers who aren't formally trained in AP way, mastering the 500-page book, which is updated annually can exist a herculean undertaking.
Fortunately, the nuts and bolts of AP manner tin can exist simplified into v main categories: numbers, dates, citations, capitalization, and headlines. By following AP guidelines for these elements, writers tin can enforce a sense of consistency that makes content easier to write and more pleasant to read through.
Editor's Note: Looking for a simple manner to make sure y'all and your team of writers are using the AP Way correctly? An AI writing banana, such as Writer'due south app can ensure that your writing is consistent. Sign up for a free trial here .
What is AP fashion?
Associated Printing (AP) manner is the go-to English fashion and usage guide for journalism and news writing, such equally magazines and newspapers. AP style dictates basic rules for grammar and punctuation, as well equally specific styles for numbers, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, acronyms, and much more than.
The ins and outs of AP manner can be found within the "Associated Press Stylebook and Conference on Media Law.". While the AP Styleguide was originally sold as a handbook for reporters, it'south rapidly become the leading reference for the bulk of public-facing communication, including websites, white papers, and press releases to reverberate new additions to the English language or address common circumlocution seen in the media. For instance, the latest edition included new or revised entries for digital wallets, smart devices, and the novel coronavirus. If yous're ever in doubt about acceptable give-and-take use or modern jargon, the styleguide is continuously refreshed to keep upwards with trends.
What are the benefits of using AP manner?
AP style was originally developed with impress media in mind. Back in the 1950s, when the guide was kickoff published, writing infinite was limited, and it was extremely plush for news outlets to correct errors.
Today, the ease of online media outlets and blogs makes bachelor space much less of an issue. Withal, that'southward non to say that many of AP'due south primeval benefits for journalists don't still benefit the content marketers of today.
For one, the continued employ of AP style means that writing way is uniform across all outlets. This helps ensure that content marketing is piece of cake to read and curtailed, and then information technology tin can connect with a wide audience. Plus, it creates a writing style readers can come to expect and recognize, assisting in branding efforts.
Secondly, content marketers tin can benefit from the "inverted pyramid" approach of AP manner. The most important information is presented first, in the atomic number 82 or introduction. Supporting information is presented lower in the copy, and the least important details are ever included final.
Of course, this arroyo stems from the days where newspapers were printed with very limited space. With the "inverted pyramid" thought process, printers could but cut off the bottom of a story if information technology didn't fit in the allotted cavalcade. Today, content marketers should always nowadays their audience with the most important information first, so if a reader leaves the page mid-way through, they've at least instilled the most relevant role of their message.
AP mode cheat sheet
Unless you lot're prepared to invest several hours into scanning hundreds of pages in the AP Styleguide, it's easier to review the virtually common all-time practices for AP style. When it comes to content marketing, best practices typically revolve around numbers, dates, citations, capitalization, and headlines.
AP fashion guidelines for numbers
According to AP style, content writers should spell out numbers i through ix and employ numerals for numbers 10 and higher. But readers exist warned, there are exceptions to this dominion.
Instances in which a writer should always use numerals instead of writing out numbers include:
Notwithstanding, in that location are too a few exceptions to AP style guidelines for numbers. Writers should e'er spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence, such as, "Forty students…" but years should ever be written with numerals, such equally, "1980 was…"
When making a number plural, a writer should add an south but no apostrophe. This rule applies to decades as well. And then, a content marketer could write that they rolled all 7s in dice or they loved music from the 90s.
AP style guidelines for dates
When information technology comes to dates, writers should always use a numeral without the addition of "st, nd, rd, or th." When a month is used with a specific date, the calendar month should be abbreviated. In other words, a writer would refer to New Yr's Day equally January. i — not January i, January 1st, or January first.
Months that should exist abbreviated when used in a full appointment include:
February (Feb.)
If a writer is using but a month and a year to refer to a time period, the month should be spelled out fully. There should be no comma betwixt the calendar month and twelvemonth. For example, the second month of this year would be written as February 2020.
If a phrase refers to a calendar month, twenty-four hours, and year, the year should exist separated with a comma — i.east. March ten, 1990, or Oct. 14, 1995.
For days of the calendar week, you lot should e'er capitalize the specific twenty-four hours merely never abridge it.
In add-on, if y'all are referring to a specific day that is more than one calendar week away, you lot should also reference the month and yr.
When it comes to time, fifty-fifty hours practise not require a semicolon and two zeroes at the end. For case, "eight o'clock" in AP style is simply 8, not eight:00. To distinguish between night and day, a author should always include "a.thousand." or "p.k." subsequently the numeral. However, it'south all-time to utilize "midnight" or "noon" instead of 12 a.yard. or 12 p.grand.
AP fashion guidelines for citations
Well-nigh writers are familiar with MLA or APA citations used in loftier schoolhouse and college essays. Dissimilar these manner guides, AP fashion doesn't specify page formatting and commendation rules quite as harshly. However, information technology does provide a standardized way of referencing people, dates, and things.
When referencing people, always utilise the person's first and final name upon the showtime mention. Only use the person'southward last name on the second reference. It'due south unnecessary to utilize courtesy titles, such as Miss, Ms., Mrs., or Mr., unless they're part of a direct quote or necessary to differentiate between individuals with the aforementioned last proper name (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Smith).
E'er be sure to apply the discussion said to attribute a quote to an individual. Alternatively, writers tin substitute 'said' for a more impactful verb, such as exclaimed, yelled, or asked. Punctuation for quotes should e'er remain within the quotation marks — "Like that?" you asked and "Like this," I said.
When citing print and news articles on the first mention, writers must include:
one. The proper name of the author or writer
ii. Championship of piece of work
three. Date of work
4. Where information technology was published
One time the author fully identifies the source, including the name, championship, and date of publication, it'southward only necessary to place the source by their last name upon second or after mentions.
For books, writers must include the author and title of the book also equally the yr it was published on the first mention. Upon second or later mention, merely the writer's concluding name is necessary.
For websites, citation varies slightly in AP style. A writer should just apply a website citation when citing a study or a statistic. An article on the website would only exist cited as an article.
For instance, Statista.com is loaded with statistics. To cite this source, you would identify the name of the website and briefly draw it — such as, "According to Statista.com, which collects the results of national, land and local surveys, remote piece of work grew by eighty per centum in iv years."
In content marketing, proper attribution should also include a link back to the original website source whenever possible.
AP style guidelines for capitalization
AP style incorporates what'due south known every bit a "downstyle" for capitalization. This means that words are all lowercase unless a specific dominion says to capitalize them, such as proper nouns like specific country names in the United States.
For case, when it comes to state names, if the country is used upon first reference in the description by itself, y'all should spell it out.
However, if the state and city are used together, y'all should abbreviate the state. For example, Tallahassee, Fla., Montgomery, Ala., Tulsa, Okla., Madison, Wis., or Picayune Rock, Ark.
Withal, there are 8 states that should always be spelled out in full and never abbreviated, which include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.
Some additional capitalization rules to exist enlightened of include:
Common nouns such as river or street should be capitalized only when used as office of a proper name for a person, place, or thing, such as the Colorado River or Democratic Political party.
The seasons should simply be capitalized when used in a proper proper name, such as the Winter Olympics. Similarly, directional indicators such equally due east or west should all be lowercase — unless they refer to specific geographic regions or popularized names for certain regions, such as the "the Midwest."
For the almost part, job descriptions should never be capitalized. For example, police officers, teachers, or accountants practice not demand to be capitalized in AP style. Withal, formal titles, such as Doctor Evans or President Lincoln, should exist capitalized when they come directly earlier a name.
AP way guidelines for headlines
AP manner guidelines for headlines may differ from what certain content writers or marketers are used to. Generally speaking, AP manner uses title case for headlines, which ways all words are capitalized except for certain brusque words, such as manufactures and brusque prepositions.
In AP manner, headlines capitalize the commencement word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
If that sounds similar a lot to remember, think of it this fashion instead: as a general rule of thumb, whatsoever word that'southward three messages or less should not be capitalized.
Words that should not be capitalized include:
- Articles (a, an, the)
- Short (fewer than 5 messages)
- Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)
- Prepositions (at, past, from, etc.)
AP style writing examples
At present that you're more familiar with AP way for diverse aspects of content writing allow's combine a few style guidelines to demonstrate best practices.
All-time practices for numbers
Do you have five minutes to discuss numbers? Yesterday, I spent $3 on a piece of pizza. Then, my 13-year-old niece asked me to order 11 pizza pies for her friends. So, I spent another $150 on pizza. I predict that by the time I'm 70-years-old, I'll take spent $1 million on pizza!
→ Numbers less than 10 are spelled out fully.
→ Numbers greater than 10 expressed with numerals.
→ Ages, dollar, and millions are expressed with numerals.
→ When referring to a person'south age as an adjective, make certain to apply hyphens.
Best practices for dates
Can yous believe it's Jan. i already? I'grand planning for a political party on February. 5, 2021. I'm hoping that past February 2021, at that place will be more venues available. The platonic time slot for the party is 1 p.thou., but I could settle for noon.
→ Specific dates should exist abbreviated, without the use of "st, nd, rd, or th."
→ Time periods should use the full month and twelvemonth with no comma.
→ Time should include a.m. or p.m., aside from apex and midnight.
Best practices for citations
→ Citing an article must include the author'due south full proper name, article championship, where it was published, and when.
→ Use the author's full name on first mention and final name on secondary mention.
→ Employ "said" to attribute a quote and keep punctuation inside the quotation marks.
Best practices for capitalization
I traveled south downward the Colorado River to reach the area of the Midwest I wanted to see. It's a shame I missed the Winter Olympics this year. I heard Doctor Smith attended. My favorite athlete didn't participate. They visited a doctor last autumn for a bad injury.
→ Mutual nouns are only capitalized when used as office of a proper proper name
→ Directions and seasons are only capitalized when used in a proper proper noun.
Best practices for headlines
How to Decorate the Perfect Christmas Tree
Top Tips for Writing an Ebook from Beginning to Stop
Stop past the Local Farmers' Market this Weekend
→ The offset and last word in a headline should always exist capitalized.
→ Short words (less than iii letters) are typically lowercase.
→ Articles, prepositions, and analogous conjunctions are typically lowercase.
All-time practices for referring to engineering science and social media
It can exist hard to go on upward with the proper AP Style guidelines for common tech terms.
→ Use iPhone and iPad.
→ Website is one word, not 2 words. However, a spider web folio is two words.
→ Hashtag is 1 word, along with e-mail and smartphone. However, at that place should exist a hyphen for the following words, such equally e-book and e-reader.
→ When referring to a website in a post, reference the site's title and not the full webpage address. For example, it is Google Non www.Google.com
From a more than concise writing way to a simplified arroyo to content, at that place are several benefits of adapting to the AP style. Fortunately, content writers and content strategists don't need to memorize all of the ins and outs of AP style to master the basics of clearer writing. By calculation the details to your fashion guide and using an AI writing assistant, like Author , you tin comprise these best practices seamlessly beyond each content nugget yous produce.
littlefieldmonce1990.blogspot.com
Source: https://writer.com/blog/a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-ap-style-of-writing/
0 Response to "How to Format a Book Review in Associated Press Style"
Post a Comment