There are several common typesetting, formatting and SI unit errors that we encounter. Therefore:
- if you want to write “is equal to”, don’t use the ~ symbol, but ≈
- use the correct symbol for degrees, which is Num Code 0176 (°) not Num Code 0186 (º). The latter is a small zero. Do not write deg C or just C.
- delete all double spaces
- remove all empty lines (don’t use them for formatting your text)
- remove all double tabs (don’t use them for formatting your text)
- for equations and formulas use the equation editor
- the abbreviation for liter is a capital L, not a small l or ℓ (the latter commonly used in South Africa)
- write “electrical conductivity” not only “conductivity” if you mean EC
- write µS or mS instead of µMOHS, uMOHS or mMOHS. The Num Code for µ is 0181
- don’t use paragraphs that consist of only one or two sentences
- don’t use hard line or page breaks to format your text
- the correct multiply sign is × (Num Code 0215), not the letter x
- avoid “etc.” at the end of lists, but start your list with “e.g.” instead (in the first case the reader might think you didn't have more ideas and in the second case the reader assumes you thoroughly thought about your list and selected the most important items)
- do not use a capital K for kilo. The capital K is used for the unit Kelvin. You need to use a lower case k instead: kg, km, kt, kJ. But use a capital M for mega, G for giga and so on
- do not write ‘and/or’. This is bad English. Just write ‘or’ or substitute by another sentence
- if you use Imperial units, equivalent SI units must be provided in parentheses (use the Measurement Converter Smart Tag in Microsoft Word)
- do not write SI units in the long format (i.e. avoid “… TSS concentration of 25,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L) …” and use instead “… TSS concentration of 25,000 mg/L …”)
- use proper notation for scientific numbers. Instead of 0.16E-18 write 0.16 × 10-18
- indicate decimal points with periods rather than commas (0.4 mg L-1 instead of 0,1 mg L-1)
Num Code can be reached with keystroke ALT + above mentioned 4 digit number code
