Numbers
Write numbers in full from zero to nine , then use numerals for 10 and above . In headings , use numerals only when space restrictions prevent spelling out the number .
There were five students presented to an audience of 20 academics .
Spell out any numbers that appear at the start of a sentence , but it ’ s better to reword the sentence if possible :
Forty-four years have passed since then .
It has been 44 years .
Use numerals for academic terms or levels : Year 10 , Level 2 , Term 3
In tables , figures or other places where space is limited , you may use numerals at all times .
Use a comma to break up large numbers with five or more digits : 5000 , 10,000
5,000 , 10 000
For numbers over a million , it is more practical to use a word rather than all digits : 5 million , 36.5 billion
five million
5,000,000 , 36,500,000,000
Always spell out numbers in more generic references : There were hundreds of people .
I must have told them a thousand times .
There were 100s of people .
In tables , figures or other places where space is limited , you may abbreviate the unit of measurement for numbers over a million :
3m , 4bn
When expressing a range of numbers in body copy , spell it out rather than using a hyphen : We are expecting between seven and 18 students .
We are expecting 7 – 18 students .
The event will take place from 7 to 14 February .
The event will take place 7 – 14 February .
In tables or where space is limited , use numerals and an en dash : We are expecting 7 – 18 students .
Spell out and hyphenate fractions : one-third , three-quarters
1 / 3 , one third
Ages
Where ages are given after a name , use numerals and place the age between commas rather than brackets :
John Smith , 39
Cynthia Smith , 6
Do not use apostrophes for decades : John Smith is in his 30s
John Smith is in his 30 ’ s , John Smith is in his thirties
Ordinals
Spell out ordinals lower than 10 ( for example , ‘ first ’, ‘ second ’, ‘ third ’, ‘ ninth ’) wherever possible . Avoid using ‘ 1st ’, ‘ 2nd ’, ‘ 3rd ’ and so on unless they are appearing in a table or where space is limited :
In the University Games basketball competition , UNSW received first place and UTS came second .
In the University Games basketball competition , UNSW received 1st place and UTS came 2nd .
Writing Style Guide | Numbers and measurements 47 | Back to contents