Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

No space between the number and the measure except when referencing computer memory. Use figures even if it's below 10 – don't spell the number out. When referencing temperature, write out the unit of measure in full rather than using abbreviations. Standard abbreviations include:

area

hectare (ha)
square centimetre (cm2)
square metre (m2)
cubic centimetre (cm3)
cubic metre (m3)

  • Together the team hoped to remove predators from over 31,000ha around Dunedin.

computer memory

kilobyte (KB)
megabyte (MB)
gigabyte (GB)
terabyte (TB)

  • The new computer had just 40 GB of memory.

length/distance/speed

millimetre (mm)
centimetre (cm)
metre (m)
kilometre (km)
kilometres per hour (kph)

  • The average hand span is about 20cm.
  • The driver averaged 80kph between Dunedin and Christchurch.

power

watt (W)
kilowatt (kW)
megawatts (MW)
gigawatts (GW)
megawatt/hours (MWh)
gigawatt/hours (GWh)

  • The highest average heating potential in the house was only 0.52kW.

temperature

Celsius (C)
Fahrenheit (F)

  • The predicted rise in temperature was two or three degrees Celsius.

volume/capacity

millilitre (ml)
litre (l)

  • The 750ml drink bottles were popular souvenirs with visitors.

weight/mass

gram (g)
kilogram (kg)
pound (lb)
ounce (oz)
tonne (t)

  • The recipe called for just 80g of flour.

About the Writing Style Guide

This guide is designed to help ensure writing style – whether for internal or external audiences, written for print or online – is consistent and maintains a professional standard across the University. It is not designed for academic writing.

Feedback

Please send any feedback – including reports of errors or requests for changes – to writing.style@otago.ac.nz

Back to top