The document provides guidance on using numbers in academic writing, including when to use numerals versus writing numbers out in words. It recommends writing out numbers up to nine, and using numerals for numbers ten and above. Measurements, decimals, fractions, dates, money amounts, and precise times should always be written as numerals. Numbers that combine or start sentences should be written out or rearranged to avoid starting with a numeral.

1. WRITING
NUMBERS
ASIA

2. WRITING NUMBERS
• When using numbers in academic writing you
need to decide if it’s more appropriate to use a
numeral (e.g. 9) or to write the number in words
(e.g. nine). It’s worth checking to see if your
department has specific advice on this matter,
because individual approaches do vary. In the
absence of specific advice, here is some general
guidance on the matter:

3. BASIC NUMBERS
• Numbers up to nine should always be written in words, anything higher than
nine can be written in numerals. Alternatively, some guides suggest that if
you can write the number in two words or fewer then use words rather than
numerals. If you are going to take this approach then you should include a
hyphen when writing numbers with two words, e.g. twenty-seven.
• For larger numbers, it is acceptable to use either numerals or words
depending on context (e.g. a thousand people/1,000 people), but you should
always use numerals in technical writing, e.g. 200,000 km. For less precise
larger numbers, the written form is better (e.g. several thousand).

4. MEASUREMENTS AND
DECIMALS/FRACTIONS
• Use numerals for units of measurement or time, e.g. 500 km, 10
minutes.
• Always use numerals for decimals and fractions (e.g. 0.5 cm)
unless the figures are vague (e.g. around half of the population).
• Units of measurement that modify a noun should be hyphenated,
e.g. a 3-year-old child.

5. DATES, MONEY AND TIME
• Always use numerals for dates, e.g Monday 4 April, 2016.
• Use numerals for money (e.g. His pocket money was exactly £1.00
per week) unless the amounts are vague (e.g. He earned well over
a million last year).
• Use numerals for indicating the precise time (e.g. 08:00), or words
if the times indicated are vague (e.g. around eight o’clock).

6. COMBINING NUMBERS
• If you need to combine two numbers that run together then use
words for the shorter number and numerals for the longer
number, e.g. a tower of 1000 ten-pence pieces.

7. STARTING SENTENCES WITH
NUMBERS
• Avoid starting a sentence with a numeral. Either write the number
in words or rearrange your sentence. For example, “Three hundred
and sixty-five days make one year” could become “There are 365
days in a year”. If you start a sentence with a year, write “The year”
first e.g. “The year 1066 saw one of the most famous battles in
English history”