What is their "natural unit" cm? I suppose you could argue that AU is a
"natural" unit (the mean Earth-Sun distance), but parsec (pc) is certainly
not natural, unless you consider the Babylonian arcsecond a natural unit!
It would seem that whatever editor wrote the manuscript guidelines has never
read the standards (NIST, ANSI, ISO, BIPM, etc.--any one would do). This is
the fundamental problem we face--ignorant editors; the blind leading the
blind. How do we get these clowns in authority to download these standards
and read them? How hard can this be for intelligent scientists? Let's send
them copies with the rules highlighted in bright orange felt tip pen!
Sheesh!
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of James R. Frysinger
Sent: 2000 October 17 Tuesday 19:44
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:8644] Style guidance for the Astrophysical Journal
As many of you know, it has often irritated me that astronomers use old
cgs units and even non-metric units. The information below is from the
style guidance provided by the American Astronomical Society to authors
submitting papers for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. I am not
a member of the AAS, so I have no official standing in this matter.
Alas.
I don't know yet what, if any, guidance the International Astronomical
Union provides.
Jim
THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
....
1. PREPARATION OF THE MANUSCRIPT
....
1.2. Style
....
5. Standard abbreviations for SI units (e.g., m, km, mm) or natural
units (e.g., AU, pc, cm) should be used. If English units such as inches
or pounds per square inch are used, metric equivalents should be given
in parentheses. Expressions of rate, such as kilometers per second, ergs
per meter, etc. should always be set as, e.g., km s-1, ergs m-1, not
km/s, ergs/m.
....
--
Metric Methods(SM) "Don't be late to metricate!"
James R. Frysinger, CAMS http://www.metricmethods.com/
10 Captiva Row e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Charleston, SC 29407 phone/FAX: 843.225.6789
