We like to think of ourselves as loyal guardians of the AP Stylebook. That said, there’s no denying this book is a pretty freaking big tome. It also receives frequent updates that can be hard to keep track of, especially during a crazy work week. This series will help you keep up with the latest developments as well as provide quick refreshers on common mistakes.
As a creative agency that constantly creates content about other companies, we could always use a quick refresh on tricky style scenarios that relate to business. So we dove into the Stylebook’s FAQ section to find some answers to corporate style questions you may have wondered about but been too afraid to ask.
Q: Should you put a comma after a company name but before “Inc.”? Or, in other words, is ABC Company, Inc. correct?
A: Short answer: yes and no. Yes, you should abbreviate and capitalize “Inc.” when you’re using it as part of a corporate name. But no, you don’t have to set it off with commas. So instead, the right answer is “ABC Company Inc.”
Q: Speaking of Inc., how should I punctuate a sentence that ends with this word? Should I type two periods?
A: Nope. Just the one!
Q: When (if ever) should a period be used in LLC?
A: AP style says the only time you ever should be using a period in LLC (short for “limited liability company”) is if you’re putting this abbreviation at the end of a sentence.
Q: Are professional titles capitalized when they stand alone in text (for example, “Joe McGee previously served as Executive Editor of Delucchi News”)?
A: Nope. Joe McGee actually served as the executive editor at Delucchi News. That is, if he was a real person and that was an actual news organization.
Q: Why does AP use Wal-Mart when the company seems to refer to itself more frequently as Walmart?
A: Because the hyphenated version is actually what comes up in Wal-Mart’s filings and documentation as its official spelling, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Posted By
Caroline Bennett
Categories
AP Style