Abbreviations and Acronyms
"Some widely known abbreviations are required in certain situations, while others are acceptable but not required in some contexts. For example, Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Rep., the Rev. and Sen. are required before a person’s full name when they occur outside a direct quotation. Please note, that medical and political titles only need to be used on first reference when they appear outside of a direct quote. For courtesy titles, use these on second reference or when specifically requested. Other acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable but not required (i.e. FBI, CIA, GOP). The context should govern such decisions.
As a general rule, though, you should avoid what the Associated Press Stylebook calls “alphabet soup.” Consult the Associated Press Stylebook for specific cases."
Credit: Owl at Purdue, Associate Press Style
States and Cities
"When the name of a state name appears in the body of a text, spell it out. When the name of a city and state are used together, the name of the state should be abbreviated (except for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah). States should also be abbreviated when used as part of a short-form political affiliation. Examples: He was travelling to Nashville, Tenn. The peace accord was signed in Dayton, Ohio. The storm began in Indiana and moved east toward Peoria, Ill.
Here is how each state is abbreviated in AP style (with the postal code abbreviations in parentheses):"
| State Abbreviations | |
| Ala. (AL) | Neb. (NE) |
| Ariz. (AZ) | Nev. (NV) |
| Ark. (AR) | N.H. (NH) |
| Calif. (CA) | N.J. (NJ) |
| Colo. (CO) | N.M. (NM) |
| Conn. (CT) | N.Y. (NY) |
| Del. (DE) | N.C. (NC) |
| Fla. (FL) | N.D. (ND) |
| Ga. (GA) | Okla. (OK) |
| Ill. (IL) | Ore. (OR) |
| Ind. (IN) | Pa. (PA) |
| Kan. (KS) | R.I. (RI) |
| Ky. (KY) | S.C. (SC) |
| La. (LA) | S.D. (SD) |
| Md. (MD) | Tenn. (TN) |
| Mass. (MA) | Vt. (VT) |
| Mich. (MI) | Va. (VA) |
| Minn. (MN) | Wash. (WA) |
| Miss. (MS) | W.Va. (WV) |
| Mo. (MO) | Wis. (WI) |
| Mont. (MT) | Wyo. (WY) |
"You will notice that eight states are missing from this list. That is because Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah are never abbreviated.
AP style does not require the name of a state to accompany the names of the following 30 cities:"
| Cities Not Requiring State Names | |
| Atlanta | Phoenix |
| Baltimore | Pittsburgh |
| Boston | St. Louis |
| Chicago | Salt Lake City |
| Cincinnati | San Antonio |
| Cleveland | San Diego |
| Dallas | San Francisco |
| Denver | Seattle |
| Detroit | Washington |
| Honolulu | |
| Houston | |
| Indianapolis | |
| Las Vegas | |
| Los Angeles | |
| Miami | |
| Milwaukee | |
| Minneapolis | |
| New Orleans | |
| New York | |
| Oklahoma City | |
| Philadelphia | |
Credit: Owl at Purdue, Associate Press Style