Having worked as an editor, I can say that the presence or absence of various editorial items doesn't really matter, the important issue is consistency. So for each journal or organization, some chief editor sometime in long forgotten past probably chose a style, and ever since, the journal?or organization has stayed with that style. Authors generally have to follow those style decisions. Check with your journals of choice to see if they have a style sheet -- ?it can make many things proceed more easily.
Cheers, Jim Boone Las Vegas, Nevada -----Original Message----- From: Bill Silvert <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 6:53 am Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] technical writing: comma at thousand mark? One reason for leaving out the comma is that it creates confusion in international journals. An American could write one thousand twelve and a half as 1,012.5, but in Europe the comma and period are reversed so it is 1.012,5. It is better to use just one separator for the decimals to minimise confusion.? ? There is a tendency in journals to Americanise (oops, Americanize) everything, including spelling. It seems strange that a European writing in a European journal is expected to follow American rather than UK spelling. Ironically I have had editors in Hong Kong try to change my UK (actually Canadian) spelling.? ? I suppose that if Melissa is in the US and writing reports for US readers the commas might be justified, but if writing for an international audience she should be able to have it omitted.? ? Bill Silvert? Portugal? ? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Melissa McCanna" <[email protected]>? To: <[email protected]>? Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:10 AM? Subject: [ECOLOG-L] technical writing: comma at thousand mark?? ? > Recently, I have been "edited" to place a comma at the thousand mark in my > technical reports.? It was my understanding and my preference for nearly > 20 years that the comma in 1000/1,000 was optional, and preferred absent > in technical writing.? What is the general feeling out there?? >? > Also, I have been noticing more and more a comma added for a month-year > designation: July, 2009.? I thought the comma was unnecessary.? >? > I turn 40 this year.? Is this just the natural order of things that I > become a writing curmudgeon? :-)? >? > -Melissa? >? ? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------? ? ? No virus found in this incoming message.? Checked by AVG - www.avg.com? Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.10/2230 - Release Date: 07/10/09 17:57:00?
