on letterhead stationery, the dateline is simply made up of the date of writing. three points about date writing should be kept in mind. first, use the standard form, e.g., november 18, 1995. secondly, avoid using ordinal suffixes (-st, -nd, -rd, -th) which seem not only stiff but also out of fashion. thirdly, stay away from using abbreviations, hyphens, and diagonals, e.g. , 12-12-95, 2/2/95.
on stationery without letterhead (as in the case in which individuals write a business letter), the writer usually places his own address, not his name, before the date: 15 patrician way new jersey 13469 august 18, 1990 september 16, 1994