Company Writer's Guide
[For Illustration Only] 1-8
When a spelled-out unit of measurement is used with a quantity, use the singular or plural form of
the unit of measurement based on the following criteria:
• If the quantity is the unit 1 or a fraction of 1, use the singular form of the spelled-out unit of
measurement.
Examples:
— 0.6 meter
— 1/32 inch
— 1 second
• If the quantity is zero or more than the unit 1, use the plural form of the spelled-out unit of
measurement.
Examples:
— 0 inches
— 1.6 meters
— 3-1/2 millimeters
— 8 seconds
• Remember, however, that the singular form of an abbreviated unit of measurement is used
also for the plural and modified forms.
Examples:
— 0 VDC
— 3.5 m
— 8 s interval
1.6 REFERENCES
There are many accepted models for writing references, each appropriate for a given class of
documents (from scholarly works to popular periodicals). We present a conventional approach
that has worked well for most projects.
Applying these simple rules will help us standardize reference lists.
1. The usual sequence for entering a company document in a reference list is document
number, followed by the title in quotes, revision number (if applicable), then issuing unit,
and date. There are subtle variations depending on the type of document.
