Writing numbers in academic papers can be a bit tricky, as there are different rules for writing numbers in different contexts. In general, it is important to be consistent in how you write numbers throughout your paper, and to follow the guidelines of the style guide you are using (such as APA or MLA).
One general rule to follow when writing numbers in academic papers is to use numerals for numbers that represent a specific quantity or value, such as measurements, dates, and statistics. For example, you would write "The experiment was conducted over a period of 3 days," or "The average temperature was 22.5 degrees Celsius."
On the other hand, you should generally spell out numbers that are written in words, such as those that begin a sentence or are part of a title. For example, you would write "Twenty-five participants were included in the study," or "The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health."
There are a few other considerations to keep in mind when writing numbers in academic papers. For example, you should use commas to separate thousands and millions, as in "The population of the city was 1,000,000 people," and you should use a hyphen to connect numbers that are written in words, as in "The study included twenty-five- to thirty-year-olds."
In addition to following these general guidelines, it is important to consult the style guide you are using for more specific rules and examples. By following the guidelines for writing numbers in academic papers, you can ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Numbers in Writing: Guidelines for Life Sciences and Medicine (Part 3)
The same rule should be applied to ordinal numbers, i. In this article we follow the guidelines of In general, words should be used for numbers from zero through nine, and numerals should be used from 10 onwards. Recasting the phrase is generally the better option. PhD Success How to Write a Doctoral Thesis If you are in the process of preparing a PhD thesis for submission, or planning one for the near future, you may well be interested in the book, How to Write a Doctoral Thesis, which is available on our PhD Success: How to Write a Doctoral Thesis provides guidance for students familiar with English and the procedures of English universities, but it also acknowledges that many theses in the English language are now written by candidates whose first language is not English, so it carefully explains the scholarly styles, conventions and standards expected of a successful doctoral thesis in the English language. When spelling out numerals, hyphenate numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine when these numbers occur alone or as part of a larger number.
Numbers in academic writing
Use Numbers for Decimals Decimals should be written as numerals. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces. When done carefully, correctly and thoroughly, proofreading can make the difference between writing that communicates successfully with its intended readers and writing that does not. Sometimes lowercase Roman numerals are used for months in this format, which eliminates the potential confusion e. Please note that it is not correct to use incorrect to state " March 23rd, 2010. For the precise time, add the minutes after a colon 8:22 p. You could say, "There will be 12 kids who are 10 years old at my house this weekend.
When to Spell Out Numbers in Writing: Guide and Examples
That's why you'll see Top 10 in the title of listicle articles rather than Top Ten. Examples: The final score of Ghana 2, Brazil 1 did not represent a decisive victory. Instead, you could specify "in the morning," "in the evening," or "at night" to clarify the meaning. See below for a more extensive list. You can refer to In this post, we will provide a simple rule of thumb and some exceptions for our biomedical authors. Use words for numbers zero to one hundred. In general, retain the numeral that occurs with a unit of measurement.
Numbers in APA
Style Guides May Have Slightly Different Rules for Writing Numbers in Words Let's complicate things a bit, shall we? Understanding the Five Pillars of Islam is a critical first step. Five years later, she was still ranked 15 th. Then, you'll need to spell it out. Thankfully, when using numbers in writing, you can count on a few conventions that apply to most situations; just be sure to consult your specific style guide if one has been assigned. This section gives some guidelines on When to use words In general, words should be used for zero to ten, and numerals used from 11 onwards.
APA Style Guidelines for Numbers
If using words, use a hyphen. When displaying a range, use a hyphen, with no space, e. Decimals Another important factor to consider is whether you are working with a whole number or a decimal. These include the following. Each type of number may follow a different rule. However, if you are following a style guide that dictates to always spell out numbers under ten such as AP , you should follow the rules even though that would result in an inconsistent list.
