Jane E. Miller - The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers

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THE CHICAGO GUIDE TO WRITING ABOUT

Numbers

SECOND EDITION

JANE E. MILLER

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

Chicago and London

JANE E. MILLER is a research professor at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and professor in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, as well as the faculty director of Project L/EARN. She is the author of The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis, Second Edition, also from the University of Chicago Press.

The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637

The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London

2004, 2015 by The University of Chicago

All rights reserved. First edition, 2004.

Second edition, 2015.

Printed in the United States of America

24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5

ISBN-13: 978-0-226-18563-7 (cloth)

ISBN-13: 978-0-226-18577-4 (paper)

ISBN-13: 978-0-226-18580-4 (e-book)

DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226185804.001.0001

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The Chicago guide to writing about numbers. Second edition / Jane E. Miller

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-226-18563-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-226-18577-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-226-18580-4 (e-book)

1. Technical writing. I. Miller, Jane E. (Jane Elizabeth), 1959 II. Series: Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing.

T11.M485 2015

2014032722

This paper meets the requirements ofANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

To my parents,
for nurturing my
love of numbers

CONTENTS

.

.

TABLES

FIGURES

BOXES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is the product of my experience as a student, practitioner, and teacher of quantitative analysis and presentation. Thinking back on how I learned to write about numbers, I realized that I acquired most of the ideas from patient thesis advisors and collaborators who wrote comments in the margins of my work to help me refine my presentation of quantitative information. This book was born out of my desire to share the principles and tools for writing about numbers with those who dont have access to that level of individualized attention.

Foremost, I would like to thank my mentors from the University of Pennsylvania, who planted the seeds for this book. Samuel Preston was the source of several ideas in this book and the inspiration for others. He, Jane Menken, and Herbert Smith not only served as models of high standards for communicating quantitative material to varying audiences, but taught me the skills and concepts needed to meet those standards.

Many colleagues and friends offered tidbits from their own experience that found their way into this book, or provided thoughtful feedback on early drafts. In particular, I would like to thank Deborah Carr, Diane (Deedee) Davis, Don Hoover, Ellen Idler, Tamarie Macon, Julie McLaughlin, Dawne Mouzon, Louise Russell, Usha Sambamoorthi, Tami Videon, and Lynn Warner. Susan Darley and Ian Miller taught me a great deal about effective analogies and metaphors. Jane Wilson gave invaluable advice about organization, writing, and design, while Tamara Swedberg and Jim Walden provided key support on graphical design. Kathleen Pottick, Keith Wailoo, and Allan Horwitz provided indispensable guidance and support for bringing the first edition of this book to fruition. As the director of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University, David Mechanic generously granted me the time to work on this venture. Finally, I would like to thank my students for providing a steady stream of ideas about what to include in the book, as well as opportunities to test and refine the materials.

INTRODUCTION

Writing about numbers is an essential skill, an important tool in the repertoire of expository writers in many disciplines. For a quantitative analysis, presenting numbers and patterns is a critical element of the work. Even for works that are not inherently quantitative, one or two numeric facts can help convey the importance or context of your topic. An issue brief about education policy might include a statistic about the prevalence of school voucher programs and how that figure has changed since the policy was enacted. Or, information could be provided about the impact of vouchers on students test scores or parents participation in schools. For both qualitative and quantitative works, communicating numeric concepts is an important part of telling the broader story.

As you write, you will incorporate numbers in several different ways: a few carefully chosen facts in a short article or a nonquantitative piece, a table in the analytic section of a scientific report, a chart of trends in the slides for a speech, a case example in a policy statement or marketing report. In each of these contexts, the numbers support other aspects of the written work. They are not taken in isolation, as in a simple arithmetic problem. Rather, they are applied to some larger objective, as in a math word problem where the results of the calculations are used to answer some real-world question. Instead of merely calculating average out-of-pocket costs of prescription medications, for instance, the results of that calculation would be included in an article or policy statement about insurance coverage for prescription medications. Used in that way, the numbers generate interest in the topic or provide evidence for a debate on the issue.

In many ways, writing about numbers is similar to other kinds of expository writing: it should be clear, concise, and written in a logical order. It should start by stating an idea or proposition, then provide evidence to support that thesis. It should include examples that the expected audience can relate to, and descriptive language that enhances their understanding of how the evidence relates to the question. It should be written at a level of detail that is consistent with its expected use. It should set the context and define terms the audience might not be expected to know, but do so in ways that distract as little as possible from the main thrust of the work. In short, it will follow many of the principles of good writing, but with the addition of quantitative information.