# AP-Compatible Reference Standard: Associated Press Stylebook | §10.6 > **Where this standard fits:** AP-Compatible is the McClatchy / CSA implementation of the *Associated Press Stylebook*—the working journalism style standard for content not covered by an outlet-specific style guide (Us Weekly §10.3, Trend Hunter B2C §10.4, Woman's World §10.5). AP-Compatible is split into three nested tiers—**Quick**, **Condensed**, **Thorough**—so you can pick the level of depth your task warrants without paying token cost for what you don't need. Local market style guides (and outlet-specific guides) may override specific entries. Text in **red** throughout these pages marks anything that overrides or extends General Guidelines. --- ### The Three Tiers The AP-Compatible reference is structurally nested—**Quick is a subset of Condensed is a subset of Thorough**. Each tier covers everything in the tier above it, plus more depth. Pick the tier that fits the use case, not the one that feels safest. | Tier | Length | Best for | |---|---|---| | **[Quick]({{ "/docs/ap-compatible-quick" | relative_url }})** | ~2K tokens · ~1,600 words | Breaking news; high-volume batch processing; spot-check before publish; the rules a working editor needs at-the-elbow. 21 flat sections covering essentials | | **[Condensed]({{ "/docs/ap-compatible-condensed" | relative_url }})** | ~12K tokens · ~9,600 words | Most articles—**recommended default**. Parts 1–12: Punctuation · Capitalization · Numbers · Abbreviations · Titles · Attribution · Word Usage · Race & Identity · Legal · Sports · Business · Datelines | | **[Thorough]({{ "/docs/ap-compatible-thorough" | relative_url }})** | ~25K tokens · ~19,000 words | Investigative, features, in-depth analysis. Everything in Condensed plus Parts 13–22 (Weather · Health · Science & Tech · Religion · Elections · Military · Food · Environment · Transportation · Headlines & Captions) plus appendices (commonly misspelled words, redundancies, clichés, problematic phrases, tricky plurals) | #### Direct Downloads - [⬇ ap-compatible-quick.md](/assets/sources/ap-compatible-quick.md)—essentials only - [⬇ ap-compatible-condensed.md](/assets/sources/ap-compatible-condensed.md)—recommended default - [⬇ ap-compatible-thorough.md](/assets/sources/ap-compatible-thorough.md)—full reference --- ### When to Use AP-Compatible AP-Compatible is the **default** for any McClatchy newsroom content where a more specific style guide doesn't apply. Cross-reference if you're not sure: - Us Weekly content → [§10.3 Us Weekly]({{ "/docs/us-weekly" | relative_url }}) (AMI Women's Group house style; couples take **plural** verbs; em dashes with **spaces**; sister-rule heds; bold celebrity names with tag-page links) - Woman's World content → [§10.5 Woman's World]({{ "/docs/womans-world" | relative_url }}) (AMI Women's Group with WW-specific deviations; couples take **singular** verbs; **no-space** em dashes; brand-voice rules around aging, faith, politics) - Trend Hunter B2C content → [§10.4 Trend Hunter B2C]({{ "/docs/trend-hunter-b2c" | relative_url }}) (curiosity-first trend voice for The Curious Optimizer; psychographic-not-demographic framing) - Apple News distribution → [§10.2 Apple News]({{ "/docs/platform-apple-news" | relative_url }}) (90–120 char heds, subtitle field, AI disclosure, image specs) - SmartNews distribution → [§10.1 SmartNews]({{ "/docs/platform-smartnews" | relative_url }}) (70–90 char heds; no question heds; no "What to Know" endings) --- ### Cross-Publication Quick Reference Three style rules diverge meaningfully across McClatchy outlets—make sure you're applying the right one before you publish: | Rule | AP-Compatible | Us Weekly | Woman's World | Trend Hunter B2C | |---|---|---|---|---| | Couples / pairs / duos | Singular verb | **Plural verb** | Singular verb | Singular verb | | Em dash spacing | No surrounding spaces | **Spaces on both sides** | No surrounding spaces | No surrounding spaces | | Oxford / serial comma | **No** (AP rule) | No | No | No (default) | | Headline casing | Per destination site | Title case (single quotes) | Title case | Per destination site | | Front-load topic / celebrity name in heds | n/a | Required (sister-rule across onpage / promo / SEO) | Common practice | Common practice | --- ### Headline Rules—Quick Reference For the full headline-style rules, see [Headlines]({{ "/docs/headlines" | relative_url }}) and the platform-specific pages above. AP-Compatible defaults relevant to most heds: - **Capitalization:** title case for most destinations; sentence case for CUE (the McClatchy CMS)—follow the destination site style guide - **Verb tense:** present tense for past events ("Senate passes bill," not "Senate passed bill") - **Numbers:** numerals are acceptable in heds even at the low end where body copy would spell out (1–9). One exception: **never** start a hed with a numeral - **Abbreviations:** OK in heds when widely known (FBI, IRS, NATO); spell out otherwise - **Punctuation:** period at end of complete sentences; no period at end of fragment heds. Single quotes for quoted material (in some destinations); follow site style. Comma for `said`-attribution --- ### Reference Hierarchy When AP-Compatible doesn't address a question, defer in this order: 1. AP-Compatible (this guide, at the appropriate tier) 2. *Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary*, 11th Edition 3. *Chicago Manual of Style* 4. *Words Into Type* Outlet-specific style guides (Us Weekly, Woman's World, etc.) override AP-Compatible for content published under those brands. Local market style guides may override specific AP-Compatible entries—check with the destination newsroom. --- ### Pre-Publish Checklist For the comprehensive pre-publish checklist, see the **[Quick]({{ "/docs/ap-compatible-quick" | relative_url }})** tier's Quick Error Check section. Top-of-mind reminders: - Outlet-specific style guide checked first (US Weekly / Woman's World / Trend Hunter B2C / etc.)? - Cross-publication divergences applied correctly (couples-verb, em dash spacing, Oxford comma)? - Numbers: 1–9 spelled out in body; numerals 10+ (with the long list of exceptions covered in the Numbers section of the appropriate tier) - Attribution: `said` is the preferred verb; placement after subject; past tense for written-after-the-fact pieces - Quotation marks: AP uses double quotes for direct quotation, single quotes for quotes-within-quotes - Em dashes **with** surrounding spaces on both sides (AP standard per ap-compatible-quick.md + ap-compatible-condensed.md "Em Dash"); no Oxford / serial comma; correct comma usage in compound sentences and series - Capitalization: titles before names cap; titles after names lowercase; geographic regions cap when noun, lowercase when direction - Datelines: format and city-stand-alone rules per the tier reference