How to write numbers

'How to write numbers' is a course written by RSS fellow Alan Jackson, which was was initially prepared for the Welsh Government Statistics Department to prevent errors appearing in reports.

Written in three parts, the course covers everything you need to know about writing numbers, from dates to percentages - and when it's best to write 'data is...' or 'data are...'.

The course is a series of slides with a series of exercises.

Download the course:
How to write numbers (part 1) (PPTX)
(Takes up to 30 minutes to complete)

How to write numbers (part 2) (PPTX)
Download accompanying PDF on Percentages
(Takes up to 10 minutes to complete)

How to write numbers (part 3) (PPTX)
(Takes up to 10 minutes to complete)

About the author
Alan Jackson was a statistician with the Welsh Government for 27 years before retiring in 2018. Before that he worked in the Operational Research Department of British Steel and was a maths teacher.

Throughout the 1980s Alan researched in AI for Ferranti and was also Research Fellow in the Robotics Department of Bristol University where he helped to produce a robot snooker player which was joint winner of a British Computer Society technical award. Alan was also featured on a BBC2 QED programme. He has three national awards and a diploma in writing from the Plain English Campaign. 

Want to develop your skills further? Take our Presenting Data online course

If you'd like to further your data communication skills, the RSS also offers an online course on Presenting Data by Ed Swires-Hennessey, who has also authored a book on the subject.