APA Fact of the Week: Nouns Followed by Numerals of Letters
APA Style lists various style formats to follow when writing a dissertation, some of which may not seem obvious or necessary. These formatting requirements ensure consistency and bring your writing to a more academic standard. One such example is the use of nouns followed by numerals or letters.
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APA6 states to, “capitalize nouns followed by numerals or letters that denote a specific place in a numbered series” (4.17, p. 103). Examples include:
On Day 2 of Experiment 4
Figure 2 and Table 3 present
In the school, Grade 8 students
during Trial 5
*Note that numbers preceding these nouns are presented as numerals, not expressed as words (APA6, 4.31, p. 112).
Two exceptions to the rule pertain to common items and nouns that precede a variable. For nouns that refer to common parts of a table or book, do not capitalize the noun. Examples include:
page iv
row 3
column 5
In addition, for nouns that precede a variable, do not capitalize the noun. Examples include:
trial n and item x
but
Trial 3 and Item b