AP Style Bootcamp :: Flagging Your 2009 AP Stylebook

Get out your 2009 AP Stylebook, Post-It notes and a pen and get ready for a short bootcamp by Barbara Nixon. Learn what the five most important things to know about AP Style are, and even get a bonus at the end. Flag your book as you go along, pausing the Prezi below when you need to.

Want a PDF of the 5 Things and their page numbers that I refer to in the video? Here you go:

AP Style Bootcamp Handout


60 Replies to “AP Style Bootcamp :: Flagging Your 2009 AP Stylebook”

  1. I just realized My comment from last Monday never actually posted. I followed along with your video and flagged what you suggested to us. My book is the 2008 version so some of the page numbers were off, but I made the adjustments to fit my copy. This week’s topic was a blessing because I had my first story due in my News Reporting and Writing class. I was able to use what I learned when I wrote and edited my story. I also referred back to the course from newsU we completed. Without having my book marked like you showed us, it would have been much more difficult to look up certain topics. Thank you.
    Haley Barnes

  2. This video was very helpful. I am slowly getting the hang of this AP style. At first I thought of AP style as a pain but now I am getting more and more used to it. Videos such as this from very experienced writers have really helped me become a better PR writer.

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  4. Thank you for posting the AP Style boot camp; hopefully will better prepare me for the war on grammatical errors. Your video pretty much covered the areas where I have the most trouble when it comes to AP style. I put my multicolored tabs in my style book so hopefully the next time I need the answers to an AP style question I will be able to find them quickly. I think I am good at getting my ideas on paper (or on the internet) but when it comes to AP style or grammar in general some training would do a lot of good. Thank you again!!

  5. I just finished viewing the AP Stylebook boot camp video, and I found it to be very helpful. When I first started using my AP Stylebook when I was in the introduction to journalism course I had many difficulties with it. When I had to write stories for that class I spent hours looking through the stylebook because I did not know what words I needed to check, and after I went through the book to look up a word I would have to go to another section because the word I looked up was in a different section than I first thought. Using sticky notes to mark the pages was a good idea, so I can easily find the sections I need.

    Thank You,
    Trent Callier

  6. Watching AP Style Bootcamp was very helpful. Since I have been at Georgia Southern I have always had an AP Manual but I have very rarely picked it up to help in my papers or assignments. In the video the five basic areas were pointed out. There are things in the AP Style book that I never realized were in the book like the information on how to write out numbers and numerals. Now that I have the sections in my book flagged off it will make it easier to access and find the information and help that I am looking for. The AP Manual has always been a little complicated but now after watching this video it will be easier for me to understand and actually utilize my book.

  7. Prof. Nixon: I really found the AP Stylebook Boot Camp useful because in addition to flagging my pages with my sticky notes, I got to review some of the guidelines and tips that I sort of forgot about from learning before and also learn new ones, such as what you mentioned at the end of the video about the final comma. Thank you for creating the video for us. We can learn from it, those of us who are beginners. Even though public relations is only my minor I will find this boot camp useful because I can reference back to my book at any time and find the tabs faster. Thanks, Tasmaii Craft

  8. I just finished watching the AP Style Bootcamp video and I really got a lot out of watching it. I appreciate the advice on bookmarking the appropriate pages, and believe that it will help me a great deal when writing. Writing in AP Style has never come very easy to me so hopefully this will make it a little easier to understand. Thank you!

    Lauren Stevens

  9. I just finished viewing this video and I must say, flagging my AP Stylebook is a great idea! When writing for my job at CRI, I always have trouble with dates and punctuation. I find myself constantly flipping back and forth through my Stylebook in order to figure out when to abbreviate months or how to introduce a Director from CRI. It never occured to me to simply flag my book with post-its in order to be more time efficient as well as less stressful!
    I believe it is very important for PR writers to adhere to AP guidelines. Although doing so may be tedious, following the AP structure will help get your feature articles or press releases published. This is because editors don’t have the time to restyle your article to fit the standard. They instead want to be able to publish as is, or with very limited changes.
    Following AP guidelines is hard now. But I believe I will soon be able to get the hang of it!

  10. Good evening, Professor Nixon.
    Thank you for taking the time out to create this video for us. My AP Stylebook is now full of useful tabs that I can use to reference to whenever I am writing. This “boot camp” gave the opportunity also to go through my entire book and review some old tips and to look over some sections I did not know were in it. It was interactive to be able to flip through the pages as I went along with the video and be able to pause-and-start at my own pace. While going through the video however, some of the pages were different in my book for some reason. I have the 2009 paperback edition. It looks the same as yours so I’m not sure. But anyway, thanks again. This video was useful. I can be a better writer using this book for PR assignments and for PR work outside of school as well.

  11. I just finished watching the AP Style boot camp video, and I have to say that it was very helpful. Marking the important sections with sticky notes was a great idea, and I know it will make my future use of that book much easier. It was also very helpful to have the key points highlighted, so that I did not skim over them as they are very important facts. Hopefully, I will soon know these tips like the back of my hand, because I know it is crucial to remember these.

  12. I have watched the AP Style Bootcamp video and found it very helpful. AP style has always confused me but the flags are a great idea. I will save so much time finding what I need. Thank you for all the information.

    Olivia Jordan

  13. Dr. Nixon,
    The AP Style boot camp was so helpful in setting up my AP book. As I use my book more and more I noticed that I needed to organize my book for easier reference. Therefore, this came right in time for me. I am in a copy editing class and having this boot camp is going to help me navigate through this class with ease. The AP book can be overwhelming, intimidating, and confusing for beginners. As I was going through the book and the video answers to the quiz, I realize that there were things that I would not have even questioned. I will continue to expand on organizing my book with my own flags.

    thank you,
    Sharita Wilkinson
    PRCA 3330

  14. I just finished watching the AP Style Bootcamp video which was very informative and helpful. I have been very confused about a lot of elements to the AP Stylebook. It is confusing how everything is so spread out and there are many pages you have to turn to for finding the information needed. This book would have been helpful in my pervious classes where I had to write a news release or articles. This video helped to show me exactly where to look from now on and the little tabs will be an easier way to find what I am looking for. Now that I have watched this video it has helped me understand the book better and hopefully it will improve my writing. The punctuation in the back of the book always would confuse me and it would cause me to look through the book instead of knowing it had its own section. I still have to look at this book more often to become more familiar with the different concepts but I believe this video was the beginning to this.
    Thank you,
    Kate Kavanagh
    PRCA 3330

  15. I am still wondering how in the world you are able to find the time to do get so much done during the day. I always feel like I am playing catch up!

    3030/3330

  16. Professor Nixon,

    I have just watched the AP Style Bootcamp and found everything very helpful. I have not had much practice with the book or getting to know where is what. So being able to flag certain areas of the book was awesome. It also breaks the book up so that it is easier for me to locate other questions I might have. I am horrible, horrible at grammar so I know I will need to reference the AP Style Book quite frequently. I really wish some of my other teachers I have had would do this bootcamp. The earlier you can become knowledgeable of the AP Style Book the better and more beneficial. Thank you for the bootcamp and all the info!

    -Brigitte Gausche
    PRCA 3330

  17. I just finished watching the AP style bootcamp…and I loved it! It was very helpful. When I am using my AP stylebook it takes so much time to try and figure out what key word I need to look up to find what I am looking for. This can sometimes be tricky because something can be under a different word. I loved how it had the five key areas, because those are the ones that I often find myself looking for. I did as you sais and flagged them with post it notes. I even wrote little notes on them so that I will remember the tips from the powerpoint. This was a great idea! Thanks Proffesor Nixon!

  18. I have pulled out my pink Post-it Notes and have flagged six essential areas of The Associated Press Stylebook 2009 while watching the AP Style Bootcamp. The six areas of common errors areas seem to be simple. Since they are so simplistic, I think that many people over look them and assume that they are too elementary to review and look for when writing. I am sure that the bright flags between the pages will catch my eye anytime I have to write a piece for class. Many of my other classes involve writing but have not really emphasized the APA style. This AP Style Bootcamp will allow me succeed in my writing for PRCA 3330 and in many other aspects of the other classes that I am taking this semester.

    Caroline Rawlins
    PRCA 3330- PR writing

  19. I have pulled out my pink Post-it Notes and have flagged six essential areas of The Associated Press Stylebook 2009 while watching the AP Style Bootcamp. The six areas of common errors areas seem to be simple. Since they are so simplistic, I think that many people over look them and assume that they are too elementary to review and look for when writing. I am sure that the bright flags between the pages will catch my eye anytime I have to write a piece for class. Many of my other classes involve writing but have not really emphasized the APA style. This AP Style Bootcamp will allow me succeed in my writing for PRCA 3330 and in many other aspects of the other classes that I am taking this semester.

  20. After viewing the AP Style Bootcamp video, a lot of my confusion regarding writing according the AP standards were answered. The video was informative and was easy to understand. By flagging and highlighting my book, information I need will be a lot more accessible. I mostly feel more confidence when using the AP style then I did before because I used to just fumble around the book not really knowing where I could find what I was looking for. This video definitely made it easier for me to understand my AP Stylebook and will hopefully help me become a better writer!
    Thanks!
    Carrie Abramson
    PRCA 3330

  21. I just watched the AP bootcamp, it informed me of alot of AP writing habbits I need to pay close attention to. The video was helpful in making my AP Style book more efficient.
    Thanks,
    Jessica Teal
    PRCA 3330

  22. I just watched the AP bootcamp and like everyone else has said it was really helpful! I always seemed to get stumped on the street names and when to abbreviate and when not to. Thanks again and I’m sure I will be visiting this page a lot more!
    Matt Cook
    PRCA 3330

  23. Thank you so much for taking the time to go through the AP Stylebook with us. It is a very beneficial tool but would not do us any good if we didn’t know how to use it. I absolutely love your class and every time I leave I walk away more knowledgeable and motivated then before. It encourages me to know that when I am through with this class I will have more confidence in this field than I did entering.

    Thank you,
    Tara Parker
    COMM 4333

  24. Hi Professor Nixon. I just love the videos you make. They are always so helpful to my PR writing class at Georgia Southern. I wish other teachers had the technological ability like you do to do all these helpful things for their students.
    As for the associated press stylebook, I find it very confusing. I have had to use it before this class, and even then I was more confused than I am now. I understand that there needs to be some kind of uniform format for all newspapers and published articles, but I find the organization of the book confusing. Like you were saying in the video, they do not have a category for names. Instead, they just scatter them throughout the entire book. I feel like I am on a wild goose chase when I am trying to look up several things on this book.
    What edition are you using? I have the 2008 version, and the page numbers didn’t match up at all.

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  26. The AP Style Bootcamp video was great! I have used the AP stylebook in class before but I never could understand how to figure out where everything is located. From the video I learned how to flag the important sections so I can go straight to them when using the book! I feel much more confident about using the AP stylebook now, where as before I hated to even open it because I was lost from the start. I am now going to go through and highlight information from the flagged sections. I hope that the AP Style Bootcamp will help with making the papers I must write in the future easier!
    Thank you for making the video and helping me with feeling more comfortable when using my AP stylebook!
    Lindsay Addison
    PRCA 3330

  27. The boot camp video was perfect! I’m so lost on writing AP style. It is something new to me and I’m just getting the hang of it. I feel a little bit better now after watching the video because I know where to look in my AP Stylebook and not spend a lot of time searching through it. I was becoming very flustered last week when I’d flip and search through the book for NewsU answers.
    I found the video more helpful than NewsU because I can now find things in my book at the drop of the hat (or so I hope so when the quizzes come around!

  28. I really enjoyed this AP Style Bootcamp. I feel more confident about writing in AP Style whereas before I was a nervous wreck and always made mistakes. I flagged and highlighted my book, therefore, finding rules will no longer seem like a scavenget hunt. I feel that I will be able to write AP style papers with more ease. When writing in AP style I felt like I had to look up every word to prevent mistakes I had no idea where to start. Now that my book had guidelines I know the essential rules to check for right away. I think that this is the greatest thing that has happened to me as far as writing goes. I will never remove the flags from my AP book and look forward to sharing these tips with others who do not have your class. I just would like to say, “Thank You” for showing us this video.
    Tashe Graves
    PRCA 3330

  29. The AP Style Bootcamp video was informative and a great idea. I wish I had this video to watch before I took my introduction to journalism course because I used the AP stylebook religiously in that class. The flags are a going to be a good and quick way for me to edit my news releases and articles I have to write for this class. Since I have had to use the AP stylebook in my previous class I am pretty comfortable with using it, although I do have to admit my weakest point is punctuation. I will probably take a day this week to read up on that section until I become familiar with the requirements. The Clean your Copy tutorial and quiz along with the AP Style bootcamp have both helped me to understand the grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
    Thank you,
    Sarah Gricius
    PRCA 3330 Writing

  30. I just watched the AP Style Bootcamp video and I printed the PDF. This was so nice of you to do! I helped so much. This way I am not using the book blindly. Many times I am like a salt shaker with commas, but I am getting better and this will definitely help. Now that I have flagged my book I feel more like I know what I am doing. The little tips on the PDF and video where most people make mistakes will also help when I just need to glance at the book, but do not have the time to spend looking it up. I am glad you did this. You are the only teacher that I have had in college that has bothered to go through the Stylebook with me. Thank you!
    Lauryn Williams
    PRCA 3330 – PR Writing

  31. I finished watching the AP Style video boot camp. This video was very informative for me. I think it is important to use and become familiar with this style, as the video told us that newspapers use this style. I feel that in public relations writing there are so many rules to remember. That is why I am thankful to have all of these video’s and classes, such as the clean your copy class that was required for my public relations writing class. I also feel that this video was much more helpful than the clean your copy class that I took. Now that I know how to organize this book I feel that it will make writing a lot easier for me.

  32. The boot camp video was perfect! I’m so lost on writing AP style.I feel a little better knowing where to actually look now in my AP Stylebook because I was becoming veryflustered last week using the book and doing the NewsU. Actually I think this was more helpful than NewsU because now I know where to look for things easily.

  33. I just finished watching the AP Style Video Bootcamp video and it helped me so much! I have actually been really confused about how the AP Stylebook is organized so by going through and flagging the certain areas really helped me learn a lot! The five parts that were reviewed plus the punctuation section showed me that I still have much to learn about writing in the AP style, but I tend to learn more easily when I have an organized guide in front of me, so I feel that through using the stylebook, I will be able to pick it up faster.
    Thanks,
    Shelley Martin
    PRCA 3330

  34. I just watched the AP Stylebook Bootcamp video and I believe that the information that was provided was very beneficial. They will seem like simple things to remember. I am just concerned that while writing I will over look these guidelines. That is something that I am going to have to start keeping in mind while writing in AP style; format. This bootcamp also goes along with the NewsU that we did last week. I think that if I were to review AP guidelines, then they would begin to stick and I would no longer overlook simple rules and procedures!

  35. Professor Nixon,
    I just finished watching your AP Style Bootcamp and I think that I have successfully flagged every page necessary. Thank you for the tips on how to become a better writer!

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