Why Associated Press style?
• Most Associated Press style guidelines are similar to guidelines in other respected writing guides and commonly accepted writing rules and standards. AP consulted the Chicago Manual of Style, Follett’s Modern American Usage, Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, and other references. The online county style manual lists those print and Web resources. • The Associated Press Stylebook has an easy-to-use format that’s followed in the King County manual. Items are in alphabetical order with many cross-references to related items. For interested employees and work groups, the AP Stylebook is inexpensive and available at most bookstores. It’s also available by subscription on the Internet. • The AP Stylebook and King County manual succinctly cover the most commonly asked writing questions. For example, the AP Stylebook has less than two pages on using commas, and the county manual covers commas in only one page of a Word document. The comprehens
