Numbers, measurements and units: Difference between revisions

From MediaWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 48: Line 48:


* per cent should be spelt out, not %
* per cent should be spelt out, not %
[[category:writers' guide]]
[[category:BritGeoWiki writers' guide]]

Revision as of 15:41, 17 June 2014

See Notes for Authors p. 22 for detailed guidance.

Brief guidelines as below:

use numerals

  • whenever a number is followed by a unit symbol

(for example kg, m)

  • for references to illustrations
  • for dates, page numbers, percentages and expressions of

time

  • where several numbers are used in succession, some less

and some more than ten, use numerals throughout

  • use decimals and never fractions

use words

  • for numbers from one to ten; numerals for larger numbers
  • in whole numbers containing several zeros, either substitute

a word for part of the number (e.g. 16 million instead of 16 000 000)

  • do not begin a sentence with a numeral

spaces and markers

  • use a full point for the decimal marker e.g. 16.6 kg
  • numbers with up to four digits or fewer on either side of the

decimal marker are set without spaces or commas: 616, 1684, 0.8333

  • numbers with more than four digits are divided by a fixed

space, not a comma, every three digits from the decimal marker: 25 000, 1 584 000, 0.616 42

units

  • millions: use m and decimals: 1 m, 1.5 m, 20 m
  • billions: use bn and decimals: 1 bn, 1.5 bn, 20 bn
  • per cent should be spelt out, not %