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Number StyleNumber style recommended in Scientific Style and Format Seventh Edition.The following document was published in the January–February 1998 issue of CBE Views (1998;21(1):14–16). Some CBE members and other users of Scientific Style and Format have voiced reservations about the manual’s recommendations on how to express numbers in scientific text, as presented in section 11·2. The "SSF style", which recommends that arabic numerals be used for all countable entities in scientific text, has been adopted by CBE Views as a way of familiarizing CBE members with this format of presenting numbers, even though CBE Views is not, strictly speaking, a scientific journal. In CBE Views, as in SSF, the SSF recommendations have been applied in a fairly literal manner, which has led to the appearance of numerals for most numbers including "1" for "one", even when counts were not really the focus (for example, in idiomatic expressions). SSF does recognize that numerals might not be appropriate in all contexts, even though it does not specifically address idiomatic usages. The introduction to Chapter 11 ("Numbers, Units, Mathematical Expressions, and Statistics") states: "The following guidelines for representing numbers may occasionally collide with the realities of some documents. When common sense or editorial judgment says a guideline is a poor choice for a specific document, follow sense or judgment. Perfect consistency in representing numbers and numeric terms is impossible; choose the form that is best suited to your document and follow that form as consistently as is reasonable." The recommendations in section 11·2 are specifically designated as applying to scientific text, so authors and editors might want to adopt other styles for nonscientific documents, such as profiles, news items, or essays, even those appearing in a scientific journal. Even in scientific text, numbers might be used in a nonenumerative or nonquantitative sense, where the word would be more appropriate than the numeral (most commonly "one" instead of "1"). In addition, it has become apparent that single-digit ordinals in numeric form in running text appear inelegant and even confusing to CBE writers and readers. (As an aside, have you noticed that the numeric form of "first", "1st", differs by just a single character from its exact opposite, "last"?) To give users of the manual a better feel for the situations in which the word might be more appropriate than the corresponding numeral and in recognition that a logical guideline does not necessarily yield easily comprehended text, the Style Manual Subcommittee has revised section 11·2. In making these changes, the subcommittee has tried to keep in mind the needs of publishers, who are free to choose and enforce a house style, and those of authors and author’s editors, who submit manuscripts to a variety of publishers.
Replace section 11·2 of Scientific Style and Format with the following. NUMERALS OR WORDS — MODERN SCIENTIFIC NUMBER STYLE The conventions presented here revise what has often been called the "scientific number style". That style generally used words for 1-digit whole numbers and numerals for larger numbers, a distinction that many found arbitrary. The revised or "modern" scientific number style treats numbers more consistently by extending the use of numerals to most 1-digit whole numbers that were previously expressed as words. This style allows all quantities to be expressed in a similar manner, and because numerals have greater visual distinctiveness than words, it increases the profile of quantities in running text. The objective of emphasizing quantity with numerals is further facilitated by the use of words instead of numerals for numbers appearing in a context that can be thought of as only secondarily quantitative; that is, when a number’s quantitative function has been subordinated to a nonquantitative meaning or the number is used idiomatically, it should be expressed as a word (for example, "the sixty-four dollar question"). Developing recommendations for "zero" and "one" was more difficult. For these numbers, applying consistent logic (numerals for quantities and words otherwise) would often increase tedium in making decisions about correct usage and create an inconsistent appearance because "one" in particular has a variety of functions and readers might not quickly grasp the logic. Therefore, simplicity and consistent appearance have been given priority for these 2 numbers. For example, "one" can be used in ways in which quantity is irrelevant: as a personal pronoun or synonym for "you" ("one must never forget that…") or as an indefinite pronoun ("this one is preferred…"). "Zero" and "one" are also used in ways that are more like figures of speech than precise quantifications ("in one or both of the…", "in any one year…", "a zero-tolerance policy"). In addition, the numeral "1" can be easily confused with the letters "l" and "I", particularly in running text, and the value "0" can be confused with the letter "O" or "o" used to designate a variable.
Cardinal Numbers Because quantitative elements in scientific writing are of paramount importance, whole and decimal numbers in scientific text, titles, headings, tables, and figure captions should be expressed as numerals rather than words. This form increases their visibility and distinctiveness and emphasizes their enumerative function.
Numerals are also used to designate mathematical relationships, such as ratios and multiplication factors.
There are 4 categories of exceptions when numbers should be spelled out.
Ordinal Numbers Ordinal numbers generally convey rank order rather than quantity. As such, rather than being expressly enumerative (answering the question "How many?"), they often instead describe "which", "what", or "in what sequence". Because this function of ordinals is more prose-oriented than quantitative, distinctiveness within the text is less important for ordinal numbers, and nondisruptive reading flow and comprehension take precedence. Potential confusion between the numeral "1" and the letters "l" and "I" is also a consideration.
Although the general policy for ordinals would dictate that words be used here, the numeric form provides more distinction for the references to the individual subjects. "Subject 1", "subject 2", and so on would accomplish the same thing. The numeric ordinals also enhance contrast with the adverbial use of "first" in this example. Whichever style is chosen in this situation — numeric ordinals or the spelled-out form — it should be used consistently.
Fractions In general, fractions should be spelled out in running text. Hyphenate all fractions, whether used as adjectives or nouns.
For fractional quantities greater than 1, mixed fractions may be used if the precise value is not intended. The fraction should be set close to the whole number.
When the precise value must be conveyed, the decimal or percent form is preferred.
Comments and suggestions should be addressed to:
bbwilbur@cgi.net
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