AP Style and AMA Style follow nearly identical capitalization rules, both lowercasing articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions. The main differences are in citation format, not title case.
AP Style title case capitalizes all major words while lowercasing articles, coordinating conjunctions, and all prepositions regardless of length. It is the standard of the Associated Press Stylebook.
AP Style is required by most American newspapers, digital news outlets, and press releases. Public relations professionals follow it because journalists expect it.
Open AP Style converterAMA Style capitalizes major words while lowercasing articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions. It governs journals published by the American Medical Association, including JAMA.
AMA Style is required for submissions to major medical journals and most clinical research publications. Medical writers and clinical researchers are expected to follow it.
Open AMA Style converterAP Style is required by most American newspapers, digital news outlets, and press releases. Public relations professionals follow it because journalists expect it.
All prepositions are lowercased, whether short or long. This is the key rule that distinguishes AP Style from Chicago Style.
AMA Style is required for submissions to major medical journals and most clinical research publications. Medical writers and clinical researchers are expected to follow it.
Prepositions of three letters or fewer are lowercased. Proper nouns, brand names, and drug names follow their standard capitalization throughout.
Choose AP Style for journalism, news writing, and public communications.
Choose AMA Style for medical journal submissions, clinical research papers, and healthcare publications.
Writers working across journalism and healthcare communications will find the title case rules of the two styles almost interchangeable. The deeper differences lie in how each style handles citations, numbers, and abbreviations.