The Chicago guide to writing about numbers

Abstract

Earning praise from scientists, journalists, faculty, and students, The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers has helped thousands of writers communicate data clearly and effectively. Its publication offered a much - needed bridge between good quantitative analysis and clear expository writing, using straight forward principles and efficient prose. With this new edition, Jane E. Miller draws on a decade of additional experience and research, expanding her advice on reaching everyday audiences and further integrating non-print formats. Miller opens by introducing a set of basic principles for writing about numbers, then presents a toolkit of techniques that can be applied to prose, tables, charts, and presentations. Throughout, she emphasizes flexibility, showing writers that different approaches work for different kinds of data and different types of audiences. The second edition adds a chapter on writing about numbers for lay audiences, explaining how to avoid overwhelming readers with jargon. Also new is an appendix comparing the contents and formats of speeches, research posters, and papers, to teach writers how to create all three without starting each from scratch. An expanded companion website includes new resources such as slide shows and podcasts that illustrate the concepts and techniques, along with an updated study guide of problem sets and course extensions. This continues to be the only book that brings together all the tasks that go into writing about numbers in one volume. Field-tested with students and professionals alike, this holistic book is the go - to guide for everyone who writes or speaks about numbers.