Editor's Corner

As a couple of you have already noticed, I accidentally left out a rule. See the red font below.

Thanks to all you eagle eyed readers!

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

From: Donna Bradley Burcher
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2017 6:45 AM
To: Donna Bradley Burcher <DBurcher@jackhenry.com>
Subject: Editor’s Corner: Writing about Numbers

Good morning. Today I want to go over JHA and Symitar’s guidelines about how to write about numbers. I know we’ve covered this topic in the past, but it is one that we are asked about often. It is also high on the list of mistakes we see in submitted writing.

I’m going to toss a few rules at you, but hopefully, much of this will be review, so it won’t be overwhelming. This information comes directly from the JHA Style Guide (JHA employees can use the link to view the guide).

Rule 1:

Spell out zero through nine. Use numerals for 10 and greater. Use a numeral with the word percent, even if it is less than 10.

Examples:

· Symitar signed eight clients to its Cruise core processing platform during the past 60 days.

· Respond to the query within 10 business days.

· A 5 percent discount is available.

Rule 2:

Use a numeral if the number identifies a specific item, unit, or value you must enter, even if it is less than 10.

Examples:

· The institution establishes transaction codes 1–99.

· Type 5 and click OK.

Rule 3:

Use a numeral for numbers that are part of a series, if at least one of the numbers is 10 or above.

Examples:

· The children are ages 2, 5, and 12.

· Codes 5–15 are available.

Rule 4:

Use a numeral before a unit of measurement, even if it is nine or below.

Units of measurement include:

· distance

· temperature

· volume

· size

· weight

· points or picas

· bits or bytes

Note: Hours, days, weeks, or any other units of time are not considered units of measurement for this guideline.

Examples:

· I read five pages in the book. (Because the number is nine or below, it is spelled out.)

· I ran 5 miles this week. (Because the number precedes a unit of measurement, it uses a numeral, even though it is nine or below. It is an exception to the rule illustrated by the previous example.)

Have a lovely day today.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

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