Writing for
Math and Statistics
WRITING SERVICES - UNCW - DEPAOLO HALL, 1ST FLOOR - 962-7857
Basics
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Style manual: LaTeX; American Statistical Association Style Guide
Math style guide: Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences, 1998. Published
by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, this handbook provides some
helpful information about math typography and other stylistic matters.
General writing style basics
 Use active voice.
 Give examples and minimize computation.
 Do not begin sentences with a symbol.
 Write in a conversational tone so concepts will be easier to understand.
 When defining a term, do not use “if and only if”. Use “if” or delete the phrase.
 Avoid the phrases/words “It is easily seen that…”, “Obviously”, “Clearly”. Do not
assume that the reader understands; try to explain to the reader what is easy to see,
obvious, or clear.
Basic Format/Organization of a paper
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Body
 Generalizations
 References
Suggested Databases
 Web of Science
 MathSciNet
 arXiv.org
 ACM Digital Library
Links for Handout References
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American Mathematical Society (AMS): Author Resource Center
http://www.ams.org/publications/authors/authors
AMS Author Handbook
ftp://ftp.ams.org/pub/author-info/documentation/handbk.pdf
ASA Style Guide
http://journals.taylorandfrancis.com/amstat/asa-style-guide/
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Guide to LaTeX 4th Ed., Helmut Kopka and Patrick W. Daly
- Jazmin Capezza