The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers - (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) 2nd Edition by Jane E Miller (Paperback)

About the Book

Jane Miller, an experienced research methods and statistics teacher, gives writers the assistance they need to create clear, effective prose that bridges the gap between good quantitative analysis and good expository writing. Field-tested with students and professionals alike, this book shows writers how to think about numbers during the writing process.
Miller begins with twelve principles that lay the foundation for good writing about numbers. Conveyed with real-world examples, these principles help writers assess and evaluate the best strategy for representing numbers. She next discusses the fundamental tools for presenting numberstables, charts, examples, and analogiesand shows how to use these tools within the framework of the twelve principles to organize and write a complete paper.
In this revised edition, Miller has refined and expanded her guidance in existing chapters and added a new chapter on writing for an audience of non-statisticians and a new, easy-to-use appendix that lays out recommended variations in format and content between poster presentations, oral presentations, and written papers. The new edition is also supported by a robust website that offers a wealth of teaching materials, including problem sets, instructive podcasts, and examples of effectively prepared communication in a variety of media."

Book Synopsis

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 straightforward principles and efficient prose. With this new edition, Jane Miller draws on a decade of additional experience and research, expanding her advice on reaching everyday audiences and further integrating non-print formats.
Miller, an experienced teacher of research methods, statistics, and research writing, 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 the book, 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 and technical issues. Also new is an appendix comparing the contents and formats of speeches, research posters, and papers, to teach writers how to create all three types of communication without starting each from scratch. An expanded companion website includes new multimedia resources such as slide shows and podcasts that illustrate the concepts and techniques, along with an updated study guide of problem sets and suggested course extensions.
This continues to be the only book that brings together all the tasks that go into writing about numbers, integrating advice on finding data, calculating statistics, organizing ideas, designing tables and charts, and writing prose all 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.

About the Author

Jane E. Miller is a research professor at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the 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 University of Chicago Press.