5. Numbers
This section covers numbers, particularly the question of when they should be written out and what to do should they appear in combination with units of measurement, other numbers and punctuation marks. Although approaches to these issues differ depending on the type of document, these guidelines are intended for institutional rather than technical texts. They also give precedence to British usage, although explanations on American usage are given when necessary.
5.1 Writing out numbers
5.1.1 Cardinal numbers
Spell out cardinal numbers from zero to nine and use numerals from 10 upwards, but maintain consistency in the immediate context.
Every three sessions, the students will be organised in new groups of five.
The Board will be reviewing a total of 10 new master’s degrees and 12 new doctoral degrees.
The presentations should last between five and ten minutes.
5.1.2 Ordinal numbers
Spell out ordinal numbers from zero to nine and use numerals from 10 upwards, but maintain consistency in the immediate context. Avoid superscript type.
The Second International Conference on Fluid Dynamics was held in Vic.
The oldest European university was founded in the 12th century.
In this year’s ranking table, the research groups Pattern Analysis and Sonar Imaging occupied third and eleventh position, respectively.
5.1.3 Roman numerals
Use Roman numerals for course names.
Mathematics II
5.1.4 Fractions
Spell out simple fractions and hyphenate them.
Two-thirds of the students were in agreement.
The lecturer has covered three-quarters of the course so far.
5.1.5 Numbers at the beginning of a sentence
Spell out numbers (including years) at the beginning of a sentence, although it is better to rewrite the sentence so that it does not start with a numeral.
Nineteen forty-five was the year the UN was founded.
The UN was founded in 1945.
5.1.6 Plural numbers
Add an s to form the plural of a numeral. Do not add an apostrophe.
Among the scores were four 94s and two 99s.