Bailey.Academic_Writing

2.9 Numbers
cross-reference
2.16 Visual Information
1. Discussing statistical data is a necessary part of much
academic writing:
Approximately 1,800 children between the ages of 5 and
12 years were randomly selected . . .
Already 3% of the US working population (1.55 million)
are employed in 70,000 centres . . .
The earth’s atmosphere appears to be gaining 3.3 billion
metric tons of carbon annually . . .
. . . but five winters in the twentieth century were more
than 2.4°C colder than average.
Figures and numbers are both used to talk about statistical
data in a general sense.
The figures in the report need to be read critically.
Digits are individual numbers. Both fractions ( 1 /2) and
decimals (0.975) may be used.
4,539 – a four-digit number
£225,000 – a six-figure salary(a number)
Figure (Fig.) 3 – Infant mortality rates in twelfth century
France (a diagram)
no final ‘s’ on hundred/thousand/million:
Six million people live in the region.
but: Thousands died in the last outbreak of cholera.
2. Percentages are commonly used for expressing rates of
change:
Overseas students in the university 2000–2003
2000 2001 2002 2003
200 300 600 1,000
Complete the following sentences about the table above with
percentages.
a) Between 2000 and 2001, the number of overseas students
increased by . . . . . . . . . .%
b) The number increased by . . . . . . . . . .% the following year.
c) Between 2000 and 2003 there was a . . . . . . . . . .% increase.
3. Too many statistics can make texts harder to read. In some
cases, where the actual number is unimportant, words or
phrases may replace numbers to simplify the text:
Forty-three villages were cut off by the heavy snowstorm.