This document provides guidelines for abbreviating terms consistently in writing. It discusses abbreviating months, states, streets, titles, times of day, and other terms. Consistent abbreviation allows for more space while maintaining clarity.

1. Abbreviations
Copy should be consistent, and this
includes abbreviations. Abbreviations take
up less space on the page, thereby
allowing room for more important words.

2. Months, States, Thoroughfares
 Similar to the way that states are written: most
months are abbreviated when used with a
specific date:
 Dec. 17, 2012
 However, other months are never abbreviated.
 March, April, May, June and July
 All months are spelled out fully when standing
alone
 Their wedding anniversary is in February. The date is
Feb. 14.
 Classes end in June. Classes end June 7.

3. Month abbreviations
 For the 8 months that are abbreviated when it
appears with a date, use:
 Jan.
 Feb.
 Aug.
 Sept.
 Oct.
 Nov.
 Dec.
 Remember: stay away from suffixes –rd, -st, -
nd, and –th. No matter how you might pronounce
it, the date is pure Arabic.

4. Examples
 We will celebrate the holidays from Dec. 23 until
Jan. 4.
 Valerie sprained her ankle in October but she did
not have a cast put on until November.
 She wants to go to Europe in August, but her
departure date is Sept. 8.

5. States
 You must memorize how, when and if a state is
abbreviated.
 States standing by themselves are always spelled out. Most
states are abbreviated when a town or city is a prefix. The only
exception is that well-known cities do not need a state
designation.
 Example:
 I live in North Carolina. I used to live in Macon, Ga., but my
new home is near Henderson, N.C.
 My manuscript is in Los Angeles.
 The beaches at Miami are world famous.
 There is a professional soccer team in Boston.
 Remember the 8 states that are always spelled:
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah

6. Thoroughfares
 Avenue, boulevard, street, way, alley, terrace, lane,
circle…
 Only 3 are abbreviated and ONLY when a precise
street address precedes them: avenue, boulevard and
street. (ABS)
 Veronica lives at 890 King Ave. Larry lives at 60 Helena
Blvd. I live at 1234 McRae St.
 Veronica lives on King Avenue. Larry lives on Helena
Boulevard. I live on McRae Street.
 My newspaper route takes me to Franklin Drive, to
Willow Way and to Bluebird Circle. My girlfriend lives at
321 Bluebird Circle.

7. Thoroughfares
 Some street address have compass points as part of
their names. Abbreviate the compass points when
they are part of a precise address. Spell out the
compass points when part of a general address. Do
not abbreviate if the number is missing.
 The restaurant is located at 654 W. Mockingbird
Terrace. The fire chief lives at 987 S. Cardinal Road.
 The restaurant is located at West Mockingbird
Terrace. The fire chief lives on South Cardinal Road.
 The footrace will begin at 593 Eagle St., N.W.
 The footrace will begin at Eagle Street, Northwest.

8. Names and Titles
 Wire services rarely use courtesy titles such as
Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Master and Mistress.
 It takes up too much space.
 Plus, we want to treat males and females equally –
men do not have courtesy titles to indicate whether
they are married or unmarried and women do.
 So, let’s eliminate courtesy titles for both sexes.
 First, you identify a man or woman by his or her full name.
 Then in the second and subsequent references, refer to the
person only by his or her last name.
 The only time to use courtesy titles is when the story has
several people with the same last name.

9. Legislative Titles
 Words like “representative,” “senator” and
“governor” are capitalized and abbreviated in first
reference when preceding the name of the
officeholder.
 Our elected leaders in the Florida Legislature are
Rep. Jerry Stewart and Sen. Rhonda Weathers.
 Among those appearing on the platform were Rep.
Arlo Hanks, D-N.C., and Sen. Chang Li, R-Mass.
 My wife and I support Gov. Charlie Crist’s plan to
cut property taxes.

10. Legislative Titles
 Do not use legislative titles in second and
subsequent references except when used in a
direct quote.
 The words “congressman” and “congresswoman”
should not be abbreviated. They may be used as
subsequent reference but not with the official’s
name. They are only capitalized when preceding
the official’s name or in a direct quote.
 Sen. Joe Thurman lives near me. Thurman is often
seen weeding his front yard.
 Rep. Arlo Hanks, D-N.C., is the commencement
speaker. The congressman will talk about the future
of tourism.
 “I have invited Sen. Andrea O’Neal to my Christmas
part,” the mayor said.

11. Military titles
 Military titles are too numerous to list but they are
capitalized and abbreviated when preceding an
individual’s name.
 Military titles are not used in second and
subsequent references.
 Do not spell out the Arabic numbers in titles.
 The branches are: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S.
Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast
Guard. Note that each branch has service
ratings, which are considered job titles.
Do not use them in first reference, in abbreviation
or in capitalization.

12. Military titles
 Pvt. Benny Silva works as a radio operator in the
Air Force. Silva has been in the Air Force for six
years.
 Gen. Omar Bradley fought in World War II. My
grandfather served under the general.
 Mickey Murphy was a sergeant major in the
Marine Corps. Murphy now operates a pizza
parlor.
 She is married to 2nd Lt. Sammy Ray. The
lieutenant is at Fort Benning, Ga.

13. Religious Titles
 This one is fairly easy because wire services use
the term
“the Rev.” for most Christian clergy.
 This title is only used for first reference and with
the person’s full name. Subsequent references
are last name only.
 I attended a service conducted by the Rev. Pat
Robertson. During the service, Robertson said he
favored prayer in schools.

14. Other abbreviations
 Some titles that precede the name are never
abbreviated:
 Attorney General
 District Attorney
 President
 Superintendent
 They are capitalized only when they precede the name.

15. Times of day
 Abbreviate times of day. Thus, hours before noon
are a.m., and those after noon are p.m.
 Use noon and midnight for those hours.
 Note the letters are lowercase, and periods are
placed between each letter.
 Avoid redundancies such as “around 3 a.m. in the
morning.”
 She tried to get to work by 7 a.m., but she never
leaves work before 5:15 p.m.

16. Misc.
 Use the abbreviation “IQ” first reference when
referring to intelligent quotient. Note no periods in
the abbreviations.
 Use the abbreviation “UFO” first reference when
referring to an unidentified flying object.
 Use “No. 1” and “No. 2” and the like as first
reference when writing about rankings.
Abbreviate and capitalize “number” and write
the rank in Arabic.
 Use AP first reference to abbreviate the
Associated Press. Note no periods.
 Your IQ on the AP’s UFO quiz ranks you No. 12 in
the class.