AP Stylebook

The AP Stylebook is one of the most important tools you'll ever work with when it comes to reporting. In my first interview, my familiarity with the AP Stylebook was the ONLY point that was stressed. I was asked about it several times and given a test. Since I hadn't learned about it in class, I'm amazed that I passed.

Once I started working in the "real world", my lack of knowledge held me back. Employers want to make sure you've got the basics down first, so instead of moving on to hard news, I was stuck writing briefs until my style was polished. It's important to realize that AP style is just that. Style. It has a lot to do with grammar, but it's not all common sense. TDP, for example, isn't something you just instinctively know.

You don't HAVE to have a stylebook. Once you get into a newsroom, hard copies will always be laying around and you'll probably have access to a computerized version. Buying one, however, may give you the boost you need to actually get yourself there.

I've found that students from other schools tend to have more experience with AP style than we get at Seton Hill. To make up for that, there are a few options. We can tell our professors we want to spend time on things like how to abbreviate state names and how to express decimals in a story, or we can learn it ourselves. Granted, it's hard to "know" the stylebook until you actually use it regularly, but it's a very important thing for journalism students to have a handle on.

It would be PAINFUL to have to do style exercises in or for class, so do yourself a favor and get a stylebook. Pick an item to work with every week or so. Anything to get some practice with the book. It's worth it.

By the way, this book is often on clearance at Barnes & Noble. I think I got mine (it's blaze orange) for $4.

For Practice:

Some basics and a test

A few of the most common topics

Plenty of tests that keep score as you go along