Abbreviations & Numbers

Using Abbreviations

We all use abbreviations each time we write. If we write the time, we write a.m. or p.m. If we write a letter, we might address it to Mr. or Mrs. That said, there are some very common abbreviations that we know and use regularly.

Whenever you use a common abbreviation for a word, make sure you use lowercase letters. The only exception is if you are abbreviating a proper noun -- such as a person's or company's name. Do not add an "s" to the end of an abbreviation to indicate plural.

In addition, do not use any punctuation, such as a period at the end, unless the abbreviation without punctuation actually spells a word. A good example is the abbreviation for inch, which is in. You would use "in." as the abbreviation, because if you left out the period it would spell the word "in".

NOTE: You can look up the abbreviation for commonly abbreviated words on the Internet. Add a commonly abbreviated word list to your style guide for the abbreviations you use often.

You can abbreviate just about any long word or phrase that you want, even if it's never been abbreviated before. For example, let's say a term that you use regularly in your reports is "budget-approved product." Instead of typing that out five times within one report, you can use the abbreviation "BAC," as long as you write it in full the first time you use it in each report, then include the abbreviation in parentheses after it. For example: "… the budget-approved product (BAC)." When you use the term again in the report, you can simply use BAC. Do not create your own abbreviation if another abbreviation already exists.

Writing Numbers

In addition to being consistent with spelling and abbreviations, you also need to be consistent in how you write numbers in your report. The general rule is that you write out any number less than 10. If the number is 10 or higher, then you would use numerals -- for example, 223,000. However, there are exceptions to this rule.

You should always write out any number that:

Comes at the beginning of a sentence. Never write "12 people attended the conference." Instead write, "Twelve people attended the conference."

If the number is a fraction that is less than one. "We saw a three quarters of a percent increase in production" instead of "We saw a 3/4% increase in production."

On the other hand, you should always use numerals if:

You are writing the age of a person – or you are writing a sum of money, a year, a time, or a date

The number is a unit of measurement, such as 8 oz

It contains a decimal – or a fraction larger than one; always put a zero to the left of the period if the decimal is less than one -- for example: 0.056

It's a chapter, figure, or page number -- for example: Page 102

The number is part of a series of numbers, such as 105, 115, 125, 150

The number is a temperature, tolerance, dimension, result of a test, or any other kind of specific technical data

Writing Metric Units

If you write technical reports, you will probably need to know how to write metric units – or SI.

The rules are very basic and easy to remember.

First of all, never use italics. Always just use upright type. Upright type is simply type (or a font) that isn't italicized.

Put a space between the number and the first word of the symbol. For example, do not write 40mHz. Instead, write 40 mHz.

Use a forward slash to represent the word "per." For example: 20 km/hr.

Use a dot to show that two symbols are multiplied. The dot should be at mid-letter height.

Do not add an "s" to create a plural. For example, write 25 km, not 25 kms.

Use all lowercase letters, unless the symbol represents a person's name, such as V for volts (Volta).

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