Overview
By and large, we use the AP Style guide for reference.
Unanchor-Specific Styles
Paragraph Style
Length: Normally, paragraphs should be less than 50 words in length.
Webpage Url Styles
- Urls should be as short and clean as possible.
- All non-essential elements should be removed.
- There should be no trailing slash.
- Correct: www.google.com
- Incorrect: www.google.com/
- Preference is for a domain-only url with no slash if possible.
- www.google.com
- www.navigazionelaghi.it
AP Style Reference
Here is a page that helps review the main items (Appreciatively taken from https://coschedule.com/blog/ap-style-cheat-sheet.)
Months, Days, and Times
Dates and times have a number of formatting considerations.
- Dates: Follow this format: Monday (day), July 1 (month + date), 2018 (year).
- Times: Do not use colons for times on the hour (e.g. 3 p.m. not 3:00 p.m.).
- Morning and evening: a.m. and p.m. should use periods and lower case letters.
- Days: Omit st., th., rd., and th. (e.g. July 1 not July 1st).
- Months: Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. when writing out a specific date. Spell out names of months when not used to indicate a specific date (e.g. Aug. 3, 2018).
- Yesterday: Never say “yesterday.” Use the day of the week instead.
Years
Use numerals rather than spelling them out (e.g. 2018, not twenty-eighteen).
Avoid starting sentences with a number, unless referencing a year (e.g. 1977 was the last year the Minnesota Vikings went to the Super Bowl).
Ages
A person’s age should always use numerals. When using age as an adjective (using age to describe an individual), use hyphens to separate numerals and words.
Examples:
- The 20-year-old was arrested for underage consumption of an alcoholic beverage.
- At 34-years-old, Larry Fitzgerald remains impressively athletic.
- The five-year-old dog greets its owner every morning.
Numbers
Roman Numerals
Use Roman numerals when referring to a sequence of events or people.
Examples:
- Super Bowl XLV
- Queen Elizabeth II
- World War I
Percentages
Always use the full word “percent” and avoid the % sign (e.g. The analyst predicted a 100 percent increase in site traffic).
Sizes, Dimensions, and Distances
Sizes and dimensions should use figures and spell out units of measurement. The same goes for distances.
Hyphens separate figures and words as adjectives (e.g. The 3-foot-tall boy). Examples:
- The party sandwich was 10 feet long.
- The delivery driver traveled 12 miles during harsh weather.
- Bill Smith is 6-foot-5 and plays basketball in his spare time.
Serial Commas
Use commas to separate items in a list, but do not place a comma before the conjunction in most simple series (e.g. I need to buy milk, cheese and bread). However, if omitting that final comma could lead to confusion, then include it for clarity.
Quotes & Quotations
How should you format quotes in AP Style?
- Periods and commas always go within quotation marks.
- Use single quotations for quotes within quotes.
Example: “The candy truck spilled all over the highway,” said the driver. “It’s a real ‘sticky situation’ on I-94.”
Hyphens
Use hyphens to connect words in compound adjectives (e.g. The larger-than-life performer juggled seven swords.).
Compound verbs also require hyphens (e.g. She spoon-fed the baby.). En & Em Dashes
While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes.
Em dashes, in contrast, are frequently used to signal an abrupt change, suggest a pause, or set off a clause within a sentence. AP refers to these simply as dashes and requires a space on either side of it.
Colons
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.
If used in combination with quotation marks, the colon should be placed on the outside, unless part of the quotation itself.
Parentheses
Parentheses can awkwardly contort a sentence or appear jarring to the reader, so it’s often best to avoid them. That said, there are instances when parentheses insert helpful information, so if its use is necessary, follow these guidelines:
- Place a period outside the parentheses if the text inside is an incomplete sentence (such as this fragment).
- If the phrase in parentheses is a complete sentence, but remains dependent on the surrounding material, do not capitalize the first word.
- Use parentheses if a state name or similar information is inserted within a proper name (e.g. The Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News).
Ellipses
When condensing a quote, piece of text or a document, use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one more or more words. However, be cautious to avoid deletions that would distort the genuine meaning of the text.
An ellipsis can also be used to show a thought that the writer did not complete.
Periods
Lean toward using periods in abbreviations where applicable (e.g. U.N., M.A., U.S.A.). Exclamation Marks
Use an exclamation mark to express a high degree of amazement, disbelief, or other strong emotion. Avoid overuse by ending mildly exclamatory sentences in a period.
Question Marks
Place a question mark at the end of a direct question (e.g. Who is there?). Do not use a question mark to indicate the end of an indirect question (e.g. I want to know who is there.).
In a quotation, a question mark replaces the comma that normally comes before attribution (e.g. “Who started the protest?” She asked.).
Apostrophes
When proper and plural nouns end in an S, add an apostrophe at the end (e.g. Sally Jones’ red stapler has been stolen.).
Possessive singular nouns ending in S require an apostrophe before the S (e.g. The witness’s testimony).
Pronouns
When constructing a sentence, do not presume maleness or femaleness by defaulting to he/his/him or she/hers/her. Rewording the sentence to avoid gender is generally possible and preferred.
While They/Them/Their is accepted as a gender-neutral pronoun, the singular use of they can be unfamiliar. Use the person’s name in place of a pronoun or be clear in the phrasing to not imply more than one person.
Addresses
Always use figures for building numbers (e.g. 318 E. Broadway Ave.).
Denote directions following building numbers with N., E., S., W., but do not include periods for abbreviations such as NW (e.g. 1316 N. Sixth St. but 410 NW Eighth Ave.).
The only roadway abbreviations are St., Blvd., and Ave. only when following a numbered address (e.g. 318 First Ave. but The office is on first avenue).
Abbreviate post office as PO
Street Names
Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures for 10th and above.
7 Fifth Ave.
100 21st St.