In tables, you can abbreviate the word 'number' to 'no.' in the singular form and 'nos' in the plural. Spell it out in prose, unless you are using it repeatedly.
Use 'fewer than' when referring to people, numbers or objects. 'Less than' usually applies to quantities and sizes.
Fewer than 20 students signed up for the new course.
She weighed less than 40 kilos.
Use 'more than' rather than 'over' when referring to something that can be counted.
The concert attracted more than 2000 music-lovers.
David is over 180 centimetres tall.
In text, spell out numbers from one to nine.
The woman had five nine-year-old children to look after each day.
One of the children had two siblings, aged 14 and 15.
Use figures for numbers 10 and above and all numbers in decimal point form.
Nine people
9.1 kilograms
Always spell out numbers at the start of a sentence. If the number is cumbersome, recast the sentence.
Ninety-five people attended the convention.
There should be no space between the number and its corresponding symbol. However, place a space between the number and an abbreviated unit of measurement.
180°
5 p.
pp. 147–173
$347.00
18 mm
100 kph
8" x 10"
300 dpi
Write 'per cent' as two separate words, but 'percentage' as one. If the number is a percentage, use a figure if it is over nine.
There was a 19 per cent increase in productivity.
Use a comma with numbers over 9999. When the number goes into tens or hundreds of thousands, insert a comma before the thousand.
8475
87,998
763,485
When the number goes into the millions, write the amount in words and figures.
7.485 million
104 million
In tables, write numbers as figures and use symbols (such as '%') rather than words. Do not put a space between the figure and its symbol, or between the figure and its unit of measurement.
25%
$1097.00
8kw
1000km
However, if the symbol is used repeatedly in a column of a table, place the symbol in the top label to avoid repetition and crowding.
Do not place a space between the currency indicator and the dollar sign.
A$100
AUD$100
US$6000
Separate spans of numbers with an en dash, which replaces the word 'to'.
To create an en dash on a PC, press control + minus (on the number keypad). On a Mac, press shift + opt + hyphen.
Use an unspaced en dash when joining entities that are the same.
240–246 Albert Street
pages 128–136 or pp. 27–28
6–9pm
14–18 April
Use a spaced en dash when joining complex entities.
6am – 9pm
5 April – 8 March
45 BC – 86 AD
Do not abbreviate the second number when citing page number spans.
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Correct
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Incorrect
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pp. 124–127
pp. 124–7
pp. 2314–2319
pp 2314–19
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Do not use the en dash to replace 'and' in the phrase 'between… and…', or as a replacement in a 'from… to…' phrase. In these situations, use whole years, and words rather than an en dash.
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Correct
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Incorrect
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between 1960 and 1969
between 1960 and '69
from 1984 to 1987
from 1984–1987
between August and November 2004
between August–November 2004
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Use a spaced en dash when joining complex entities, but write it only once at the end of the span if the final element of the date repeats.
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Correct
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Incorrect
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18 May – 13 July 2004
18 May 2004 – 13 July 2004
8am – 1pm
8 – 1pm
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In prose, spell out the month in full, and use numerals for the date and year. Use the Australian convention of date-month-year, not the American convention of month-date-year.
14 February 1988
If you include the day of the week, place it first.
Tuesday 2 March 2004
There is no apostrophe in full-year (plural) dates.
1960s
1800s
But use an apostrophe to replace the missing prefix from decades in the twentieth century.
I grew up in the '60s.
Use the following shortened forms, without full stops, in tables.
Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat
Use 'first semester' and 'second semester' rather than '1st semester' or '2nd semester'.
There is no space between the number and the am/pm definer. Do not use full stops in 'am' or 'pm'. Use a full stop rather than a colon to separate the minutes from the hours.
8am
5pm
10.30am
To show a time span, use an unspaced en dash for simple spans and a spaced en dash for complex spans.
12–2pm
6.30 – 8.00pm
10am – 2pm
In prose, use either from/to or between/and in place of the en dash.
The lecture will be held from 9am to 10am on Wednesday.
The seminar takes place between 10am and 4pm on Friday.
