The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually called the AP Stylebook, is a style and usage guide used on newspapers and in journalism classes in the United States. The stylebook was edited by longtime AP editor Norm Goldstein, and it is updated annually, usually in June. The 2008 paperback edition is 435 pages long.
The stylebook covers a variety of topics, including:
Grammar, punctuation and spelling. For example, AP style does not use a serial comma before the last item in a list — that is, AP writes "red, white and blue," not "red, white, and blue."
AP style on a variety of questions, such as whether to convert foreign times to local times in an article, and when to put "Dr." in front of the name of a person with a doctoral degree (only for certain medical titles; optional if the subject matter is relevant to the article).
Quick background information on a wide variety of topics, such as the Public Broadcasting Service ("not a network, but an association of public television stations organized to buy and distribute programs selected by a vote of the members") and the state of Hawaii ("comprises 132 islands about 2,400 miles southwest of San Francisco.")
A sports section that includes terminology and guidelines for printing league standings.
Information specific to working with the Associated Press, such as instructions for filing photo captions.
Online Stylebook
AP also offers a subscription-based online version of the stylebook, which is updated with style changes as they are made and supports the addition of local style entries.
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