Thursday, November 28, 2019
AP Style FAQs Part 1 - The Writers For Hire
AP STYLE FAQS: PART 1 Does ââ¬Å"city-wideâ⬠need a hyphen? If youââ¬â¢re writing about a sculpture, should you italicize the title, or put it in quotation marks? The truth is, thereââ¬â¢s no right answer. In most cases, style choices like this can vary from client to client. But what do you do when your client has no clear preference? Or when the graphic designer and the proofreader clash on where (and when) to use a hyphen? You refer to The AP Stylebook Online. Itââ¬â¢s a great resource for making style choices (and, sometimes, settling disagreements). One note before you read: The AP Stylebook is a guide, not a set of laws. While we often use AP style (itââ¬â¢s sort of the standard and most people are familiar with it), itââ¬â¢s not the only style guide out there. In some cases, you or your client may decide to make your own rule or create an in-house style guide that picks and chooses which AP rules to follow. Thatââ¬â¢s okay, too. That being said, I thought Iââ¬â¢d spend a week or two sharing some of our own in-house AP FAQs ââ¬â the style, formatting, and punctuation issues that most often send us (and our clients) digging for clear answers. Enjoy! Q: Does the word ââ¬Å"city-wideâ⬠need a hyphen? A: Actually, no. According to AP, when youââ¬â¢re using the suffix ââ¬Å"-wide,â⬠you donââ¬â¢t need to use a hyphen. Same goes for ââ¬Å"statewide,â⬠ââ¬Å"nationwide,â⬠and ââ¬Å"worldwide.â⬠Q: Magazine and newspaper titles should always be italicized, right? A: This one surprised me. According to AP, magazine and newspaper titles should be capitalized, but not italicized. Personally, I disagree with this one (and, unless weââ¬â¢ve got a client who says otherwise, we bend this rule in-house ââ¬â usually with italics). One note on this, though: Whether you follow this rule or not, pay attention to the words ââ¬Å"theâ⬠and ââ¬Å"magazine.â⬠These words should ONLY be capitalized if theyââ¬â¢re part of the official name. For instance, youââ¬â¢d say The New Yorker (because ââ¬Å"Theâ⬠is actually part of the publicationââ¬â¢s title), but Time magazine (ââ¬Å"magazineâ⬠is not part of the name). Q: Iââ¬â¢ve seen ââ¬Å"websiteâ⬠written in a zillion different ways: website, Web site, Website, web-site ââ¬â what does AP say? A: AP prefers ââ¬Å"Web site.â⬠Also ââ¬Å"Web pageâ⬠and ââ¬Å"the Web.â⬠Honestly, this looks a little silly and old-fashioned to me; if youââ¬â¢ve got a flexible client or in-house style guide, Iââ¬â¢d recommend ââ¬Å"websiteâ⬠instead. But there you go. AP often changes or updates its rules, and Iââ¬â¢m hoping that this is one entry that gets modernized. Coming up next week: more titles (books and people), acronyms, and more!! Have any questions youââ¬â¢d like us to answer? Let us know and weââ¬â¢ll answer you in an upcoming blog post.
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