HOUSE STYLE

A GUIDE FOR
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Palm Oil
DEVELOPMENTS
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by Sarm Oil Palm Sma ral Coo
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Zulhusni Ismail; Siti,
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ri; Shahim;
kir Alid
and N
Balu

MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARDMINISTRY OF PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND COMMODITIES, MALAYSIA
www.mpob.gov.myi

2017www.mpob.gov.my

MALA

6 Persia YSIAN PALM
ran
OIL
43000 Institusi, Band BOARD
Kajang,ar
Selangor, Baru Bangi,
Malaysia.

i

MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD
www.mpob.gov.myaMPOB PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
Datuk Dr Ahmad Kushairi Din (Chairperson)
Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir
Mohamad Nor Abdul Rahman
Dr Norman Kamarudin
Rosidah Radzian
Dr Zainab Idris
Dr Astimar Abdul Aziz
Dr Ramle Moslim
Dr Mohamad Arif Abd Manaf
N BaluMohd Saufi Kassim
Rubaah Masri
Shafie Abdul
Anita Taib (Secretary)

b

MPOB
HOUSE STYLE

A GUIDE FOR
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATIONMALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD
www.mpob.gov.my© Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.

First published in 1983 by the Palm Oil Reasearch Institute of Malaysia.
First revision in January 1990 by the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia
Second revision in January 2004 by Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Third revision in January 2019 by Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

Published and printed by Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

Contents

PREFACEv

INTRODUCTION

1Regular Publications
Regular Advisory Publications and Serials
Ad-hoc Publications

1
2
4

GUIDE TO STYLE
Organisation
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Experimental/Materials and Method
Results and Discussion
Conclusion and Recommendations
Preparation of Manuscript
Language
Copy Preparation
References
Examples of Citations
TablesIllustrations
Numbering of Sections in the Text
Headings in the Text
Use of Italics
Scientific Names
Units of Measurement
Symbols for Correcting Proofs
References

5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
7
8
9
12
14
17
17
18
19
20
22
24

iii

Preface

MPOB HOUSE STYLE is a guide for staff of Malaysian Palm Oil Board(MPOB) who are preparing for internal reports, seminar papers or working
papers, and also for writers - within MPOB or from elsewhere – who arepreparing manuscript for submission to MPOB publications. The instructions
contained in this guide are derived from various sources, but largely fromthe recommendations of the British Standards Institution (BSI). It is importantfor MPOB as a research organisation to have clear and consistent style forthe presentations of information, to assist readers in understanding andassimilating the substance of reports or papers as readily as possible.
This is third revision of the MPOB House Style, with format to facilitatereference, guidelines and clear instructions on matters relating to manuscript
preparation. This revised edition incorporates feedbacks and suggestion
received after the previous editions appeared in 1983, 1990 and 2004. It is
hoped that this House Style will be used conscientiously by all concerned,
so as to ensure that they conform to formats which fulfill the requirements of
MPOB. Such conscientiously will contribute significantly to the enhancementof MPOB reputation as a centre of research.
This guide serves as the ‘in-house style’ for all MPOB publications. comments
and ideas are welcomed to further improve the quality of this book.

Director-General
MPOB

v

vi

Introduction
Since its establishment in May 1979, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)(then PORIM) has carried out reseach and development work for the Malaysian
oil palm industry. The results and information generated by the research anddevelopment programmes are disseminated to a wide audience throughout
the world.
Some approved professionals and organisations, including oil palm estate
owners, palm oil millers, palm oil crushers, palm oil refiners and various research
institutions both in Malaysia and abroad receive the Board’s publications freeof charge; others pay a nominal charge for them.
A brief sketch of the scope of MPOB’s publications are as follows:
Regular Publications
MPOB Annual Report/Laporan Tahunan MPOB
The Annual Report/Laporan Tahunan of the Board
contains the report of the Director-General summarising
the progress of the work of the Board. It also records
the research programmes and work of each division of
the board and includes a list of all publications by thesenior staff and a statement of accounts.

Laporan
Tahunan

Lembaga Minyak Sawit Malaysia

Kementerian Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi Malaysia

Annual Research Review
MPOB ANNUAL RESEARCH REVIEW 2017MPOB
ANNUALRESEARCH
REVIEW
ISSN 151 1- 9629

9 771511 969001

The MPOB Annual Research Review describes asummary of progress and development in the various
research programmes undertaken by MPOB during agiven year. It provides an insight into what has beenachieved and also considers the outlook for the future.

2017
www.mpob.gov.my1Regular Advisory Publications and Serials
Oil Palm Bulletin
http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/index.php/opb
The Oil Palm Bulletin is currently one of themedias for communicating information andnews to planters, millers, refiners, oleochemical
producers and palm oil users. It is a half-yearly
publication, appearing in May and November,and covering aspects of oil palm cultivation andpalm oil production, processing, refining, enduse, marketing, etc. Its regular features include
selected abstract and brief items on relevant topics,
including MPOB own activities.

Palm Oil
DEVELOPMENTS

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Palm Oil Developments

RM 20 (Within Malaysia)/USD 10 (Outside Malaysia)

http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/index.php/pod

Technological
DevelopmenTs for The
proDucTion of higholeic palm oil
BioplasTiciser anD
palm oil

proDucTion of
chocolaTe Bars
from palm fracTions
TocoTrienol-rich
fracTion: an emerging
nuTrienT in
carDiovascular healThrice wiTh low anD
high glycaemic inDex(gi) inTeracTing wiThoils: whaT Do we Knowso far?

MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARDMINISTRY OF PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND COMMODITIES, MALAYSIA
www.mpob.gov.myi2Palm Oil Developments contain short articles ondevelopments in palm oil research, advancesin technology and new uses for palm oil. It also
contains news briefs and industry statistics. It is
published twice a year, in June and December.

Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin
http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/index.php/poeb
This is a quarterly bulletin. Its objectives are:a) to keep engineers informed on importantdevelopment which affects their profession
and the palm oil industry;b) to highlight problem areas and discuss possible
solutions; andc) to provide a forum for the engineers to express
their views and discuss any matters of interest
to the industry.
Journal of Oil Palm Research
http://jopr.mpob.gov.myAn international refereed journal, carries fulllength original research, review papers and shortcommunications on various aspects of oil palm/
palm oil and other palms. It also includes reviewsof relevant books. The journal is published fourtimes a year, in March, June, September andDecember.
JOPR is indexed in Web of Science (WoS) andScopus.
Volume 18 (2)/September 2018

Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal
http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/opiej/
The journal contains articles related to economic
research and the trade aspects of the palm oil
industry which will serve to meet the needs ofthose who want to stay abreast of developmentsin these areas. It is published twice a year (Marchand September).

CONTENTS
1

Contributions of Agricultural Cooperatives
Towards Oil Palm Smallholder Communities
by Sarmila M S; Zaimah R; Novel Lyndon;
Rosniza Aznie Che Rose; Sivapalan Selvadurai;
Rusyda Ramly; Nur Hanani Mansor; Aki@ Zaki
Aman; Nazirah Jaafar; Khairul Anwar Isnin andMohammad Arfan Johari

10 Market Potential for Malaysian Palm Oil Exports
to Africa
by Norhidayu, A; Kalsom Zakaria; Kamalrudin
Mohamed Salleh; Balu, N; Norrafidah Mohamad
Rapiee and Nur Asmani Che Dir
18 Competitiveness of Malaysian and IndonesianPalm Oil Export in the Balkans: A ConstantMarket Share Analysis
by Kalsom Zakaria; Nurdiyana Sumri;
Kamalrudin Mohamed Salleh and N Balu
26 Vegetable and Lauric Oils Market Trends in EU28 Countries
by Magdi Alimerigo El Sawi
37 Labour Requirement in the Oil Palm Independent
Smallholder Sector in Sabah and Sarawak,
Malaysia
by Azman Ismail; Siti Mashani Ahmad; Ali
Zulhusni Ali Nordin; Nur Nadia Kamil; Ainul
Shazwin Shahidan; Khairuman Hashim;
Mohamad Arfan Johari; Shakir Alid and N Balu

MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD
6 Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi,
43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

3Ad-hoc Publications
Proceedings of Workshops
These are records of workshops and seminars
organised by MPOB on various topics of interest
related to the palm oil industry.
Other Publications
These consist of promotional literature such as
coffee table book, phamplets, brochures, etc.

The

Oil Palm

Saga

4Guide to Style
Organisation
Good technical writing begins with effective and logical organisation. This isbest achieved by striving for accuracy, brevity and clarity. The writer should
always think of the reader and how to help readers understand the message
being conveyed. Avoid unfamiliar word, jargon, clichés and excessively longsentences. Experience shows that accuray, brevity and clarity can be obtainedby using words and simple sentences.
The material to be presented should be arranged logically. Thoughtfulconsideration of the subject and anticipation of the readers’ needs and questions
will usually indicate to the writer the type of organisation required. For generalarticles, the following deserve careful attention: title, abstract, introduction,
comprehensiveness and relevancy of the subject matter, conclusion andreferences. For research papers, there are various forms of presentation but
certain component parts are considered standard and will normally be
included, as indicated below.
Title
The title should be concise but should also contain the maximum relevant
information so as to facilitate easy indexing and general information retrieval.
Brevity should be balanced against descriptive accuracy and completeness.
Below the title and abstract, keyword should be given.
Abstract
An abstract normally not exceeding 200–250 words must state clearly theobjective of the paper or the study reported, provide a concise descriptionof the work, and present the principle observations or results and the major
conclusions. For Oil Palm Bulletin, the abstract must be written in both Malay(Bahasa Malaysia) and English.
Introduction
This is usually a statement of the purpose of the paper. It describes the
background and objectives of the work reported and usually gives some basic
references to the published literature or to past reports.

5

Experimental/Materials and Method
This is a general heading; it may be followed by subheads if appropriate. It
normally provides sufficient details of the method and equipment used toallow the work to be repeated by other interested researches.
Results and Discussion
Result should be concisely presented (in the form of tables and figures whenappropriate) and should give enough data to justify the conclusions. The
discussion must point out the significance of the findings and, as far as possible,
relate the new information to previous knowledge. Results and Discussion may
be presented together or as two separate sections.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The conclusion represents a clear and orderly presentation of the deductions
made from the results of the work. Recommendations are concise statementsof any further action deemed necessary as a results of the conclusion reached.
Many papers will have a conclusions can be presented in the Discussion.
Recommendations need only be included when the nature of a paper calls forsuch a section.
Preparation of Manuscript
Language
Manuscript should be written in English (or Bahasa Malaysia whenappropriate) and the usage of language, including spelling and grammar,should be in accordance with standard English (or Bahasa Malaysia) practice.
Authors whose command of the language is uncertain or weak should have thepaper checked for linguistic errors before submitting it for publication.
Use only abbreviations and nomenclature that are accepted by professionalorganisations, or that are well known through long and common usage. Newly
coined expressions should be explained at first apprearence in patentheses orby way of a footnote.
Characters from foreign languages, engineering or mathematical symbol, andother items liable to misinterpretation or misprinting must be clearly drawn or
written. Carefully draw any characters not available on a standard keyboard: ufor Greek m (mu); p for Greek r (rho); w for Greek w (omega), etc.
6

Units of measurements should be consistent and the metric system is to be
used (See Units of Measurement).
Copy Preparation
Manuscript for Publicationa) Manuscript should be type in double-spacing on one side only of A4-size
paper.
b) Use font size 12 pt. Times New Roman @ Arial when preparing yourmanuscript.
c) A margin of at least 4 cm should be allowed on the left hand side of eachpage, and one of 4 cm on the right.
d) The copy submitted should be final version of the text - alterations andcorrections after it has been typeset are expensive, difficult and time
consuming; they cause delay in the production schedule, and greatly
increase the possibility of other errors being introduced.
e) The pages should be numbered at the bottom consecutively and securely
fastened together.
f) Tables should be on separate sheets, properly numbered, and their positions
should be clearly indicated in the text. The same applies to figures and otherillustrations.
Reports, Working Papers and Seminar Papersa) These should be typed in single-spacing with 1½ space between paragraphs,
on one side only of A4-size paper.
b) Leave margins of at least 3 cm (top), 2.5 cm (bottom), 3 cm (left) and 2.5 cm(right).
c) Use only 12 pt. Times New Roman @ Arial.
d) (Justify) where possible.
e) Always ensure that the printouts are sufficiently dark.
7

References
The references cited should be to original sources. If this is not possible, asecondary source (e.g. abstract, book, etc.) may be used, but it should be citedalong with the original reference. The Harvard system of citation should beused.
In the Harvard system, references in the text are cited by giving the name of
the authors with the date of publication in parentheses. If the author’s nameoccurs naturally in the sentence, e.g. ‘Kushairi (2017) pointed out...’ the year isgiven in parentheses; if not both name and date are so given, e.g. ‘This work
(Parveez et al., 2018)...’. When the same author has published more than one
cited document in the same year, these are distinguished by adding lower caseletters a, b, c, etc. after the year and within parentheses e.g. ‘(Kushairi, 2018a)
discussed the subject briefly... In another article (Kushairi, 2018b), a detailed
discussion...’.
When more than two authors are involved, use et al. after the name of the firstauthor.
In the list of references, arrangement of publications is in alphabetical order, by
the authors’ last names (taking the first author’s name where there is multiple
authorship). With multiple references to same author(s), citations are arranged
in ascending chronological order - Parveez (2016)... Parveez (2017), etc.
Other points to note are:a) The listing of papers by a single author precedes that of any papers by thesame author with co-authors. Arrange the list by single author, followed bydouble authors, triple authors etc.
b) Do not use et al. in the reference list. List all authors by name.
c) Government agencies or institutions may be cited as authors. e.g. MPOB,FRIM, MARDI, etc. (but such acronyms should be explained once in the text
unless their meaning is obvious).

8

Examples of Citationsa) Books with One or More Authors
Name of author(s) (Year of Publication). Title of book (italic in print,
underlined in typescript), edition, volume, name of publisher, Publisher’slocation, first and last pages of portions referred to.
Anonymous work may be cited with ‘Anon’ in place of the author’s name.
e.g. Ariffin Darus (2000). Major diseases of oil palm. Advances in Oil Palm
Research (Yusof Basiron; Jalani, B S and Chan, K W eds.). MPOB, Bangi.
p. 596-623.
b) Journal Articles
Name of author(s) (Year of publication). Title or article. Abbreviated nameof journal (italics). Volume number. First and last page of the article.
e.g. Kushairi, A; Rajanaidu, N; Jalani, B S and Zakri, A H (1999). Agronomic
performance and genetic variability of dura x pisifera progenies. J. Oil
Palm Res., 11: 21-24.
c) Non-English References
Name of author(s) (Year of publication). Title of article. Name of publication(italics)(abbreviated, if journal), volume, issue number (if relevant), first andlast page of article. Particular care should be taken with diacritical marks:
they should be checked against the original and inserted by hand on thetypescript (if necessary).
e.g. Reyes Cuesta, R; Bastidas Perez, S and Pena Rojas, E A C (1997).
Distribucion del sistema radical de la palma de aceite (Elaeis guineensis
Jacq.) en Tumaco, Colombia. Revista Palmas, 18: 49-57.
d) Paper Accepted but not yet in Print
Name of author(s) (Year of publication). Title or article. Name of publication(italics)(abbreviated, if journal). DOI No.

9e.g. Barcelos, E; De Almeida Rios, S; Cunha, R N V; Lopes, R; Motoike, S
Y; Babiychuk, E; Skirycz, A and Kushnir, S (2015). Oil palm natural
diversity and the potential for yield improvement. Front Plant Sci.,
DOI:10.3389/fpls.2015.00190.
e) Paper Presented at a Conference
Name of author(s) (Year of presentation). Title of paper. Title of conference
etc. Place, Date, Month and Year.
e.g. Yusof Basiron (2002). Palm oil stock reduction through biofuel program.
Paper presented at the National Seminar on Positioning the MalaysianPalm Oil Industry in Challenging Times. Equatorial Hotel, Bangi. 20
February 2001.
f) Personal Communication
Name of person or organisation (Year) Personal Communication. Place.
e.g. Anis Mokhtar (2017). Personal communication. MPOB, Bangi.
g) Paper in Published Proceedings of Conference, Congress, etc.
Name of author(s)(Year of publication). Title of article. Title of proceedings(italics) etc. Place, Year, First and last page of article.
e.g. Mohd Basri Wahid; Norman Kamarudin; Jackson, T and Zulkifli
Masijan (2003). Occurence of parasitic nematodes Elaeolenchus
parthenonema in the pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus and its
possible implications on fruit set. Proc. of the PIPOC 2003 International
Palm Oil Congress - Agriculture Conference. MPOB, Bangi. p. 425 - 448.
h) Thesis
Name of person (Year). Title. Degree for which thesis was written. Name of
University, location.
e.g. Parveez, G K A (1998). Optimization of Parameters Involved in theTransformation of Oil Palm Using the Biolistics Method. Ph.D thesis,
Universiti Putra Malaysia.

10i) Unpublished Data
Name of person. Unpublished data. Name of organisation or institution,
location.
e.g. Rozana Abu Bakar. Unpublished data. MPOB, Bangi.
j)DOIe.g. Parveez, G K A; Bahariah, B; Ayub, N H; Masani, M Y A; Rasid, O A;
Tarmizi, A H and Ishak, Z (2015). Production of polyhydroxybutyrate
in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) mediated by microprojectile
bombardment of PHB biosynthesis genes into embryogenic calli. Front.
Plant Sci., 6: 598. DOI:10.3389/fpls.2015.00598.
Barcelos, E; De Almeida Rios, S; Cunha, R N V; Lopes, R; Motoike, S
Y; Babiychuk, E; Skirycz, A and Kushnir, S (2015). Oil palm natural
diversity and the potential for yield improvement. Front Plant Sci., 6:190. DOI:10.3389/fpls.2015.00190.

k) Website
Website (Year). Title of article. (Link), accessed on (date accessed).
e.g. Transparency Market Research (2016). Nutrigenomics market - global
industry analysis, size, share, growth, trends and forecast 2012 - 2018.
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nutrigenomicsmarket.html, accessed on 14 March 2016.
e.g. Harrison- Dunn, A-R (2015). Nestle files casein infant formula patentfor better insulin sensitivity. http://www.nutraingredients.com/
Research/ Nestle-files-casein-infant-formula-patent-for-betterinsulinsensitivity, accessed on 14 March 2016.
l) Otherse.g. Junaidah, J; Kushairi, A; Isa, Z A; Mohd Din, A; Noh, A and Rajanaidu, N(2004). PS7: High bunch index breeding population. MPOB Information
Series No. 228.

11

Tables
A table may contain short descriptions or numerical data. Tables should be
self-explanatory, have descriptive titles and should supplement, not duplicate
the text and figure. Relationships and comparisons are established by thecorrect choice of column heads (captions vertical columns) and stubs (captionsof horizontal rows). Numbers in a column are more easily compared thannumbers in a line. If possible items that are to be compared should in the same
column.
Spacing is of vital importance in tables and its proper use makes it possible
to omit most lines from tables as in the modern practice.
a) All tables must be cited in the text consecutively and numbered in Arabic
numerals.
b) References in the text to tables should be in italics.
c) The position of tables should be marked in the text.
d) The word ‘TABLE’ and the remainder of the table heading should be incapitals, bold and justify centre.
e.g. TABLE 3. PALM OIL IN VEGETABLE GHEE AND VANASPATIThe table heading can carry a sub-heading in brackets in lower case.
e.g. TABLE 2. COVARIANCE ANALYSIS OF CHARACTERS X AND Y(at population, family and seeding levels)
Crowding of heading should be avoided.
e) Column headings should not be repeated.
Not Acceptable
Item

12

Run 4/1

Run 4/2

Run 4/3

A better way to present this would be:			Item
4/1 		

Run
4/2 		

4/3

Every vertical column should have a heading.
f) Both column heads and stubs should be in Roman.
g) Tables are not framed and vertical lines should be drawn only whennecessary.
h) Dividing rules, especially horizontal ones, should be kept to a minimum.
Horizontal lines are used only for special purposes to indicate maingroups which are subdivided and require a special side heading.
i) Units of measurement and abbreviated, must be part of the column heading
and should not be repeated in the body of the table.
j)

For values less than one, a zero should precede the decimal point, e.g. 0.75
and not .75.

k) In some cases multiplication of all entries in a column by some particularpower of ten allows presentation of values in less space. The column shouldhave an appropriate heading e.g. ‘000 t.
l) The inclusion of structural formulae in tables should be avoided.
m) As far as possible, the International System of Units (SI) should be used.
Where it is not possible of appropriate, the equivalent in metric or SI units
with an explanation should be given in the footnote at the bottom of thetable, if not already given elsewhere in the paper.
n) Lengthy tables should be examined critically in an effort to recognise andreduce them so that they can be fitted into double-spaced.
o) Tables (including all headings and footnotes) should be typed doublespaced.

13p) Footnotes to both the heading and the body of the tables are indicated bylower-case letters in alphabetical order, placed as superscripts and listedconsecutively as part of each table. In tables, footnotes are placed at thebottom of the table itself and are printed in smaller font.
q) Short tables consisting of not more than three lines and four columns may
be run directly into the text by means of an introductory sentence. Thesetables do not have titles nor are they numbered.
r) Ditto marks (“) should not be used.
s) Blank spaces should be indicated by a dash (-).
t) Decimal points and units of tens should be aligned.
u) Any peculiar symbol or abbreviation used must be explained in thefootnotes to the table if not earlier explained in the text.
Illustrations
Illustrations should be included only when they subtantially increase
understanding of the text. Authors must submit accurate, clear and wellproportained illustrations. Failure of an illustration to meet these requirements
usually means a delay in publication of the manuscript. Recommendations forthe presentation and submission of illustrations accompanying manuscript are
as follows:a) A sets of illustrations must be included with each copy of manuscript.
b) All illustrations must be cited in the text consecutively.
c) References in the text to an illustration must be in italics.
d) The position of an illustration should be marked in the text.
e) All illustrations should be numbered in sequence, with Arabic numerals,
in order of appearance in the text as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. Terms such as‘Chart’ or ‘Plate’ should be avoided.

14f) Every figure must have a caption that includes the figure number and abrief, informative title. The caption should provide enough detail to makethe figure self-contained.
g) The words ‘Figure’ and the caption should be in italics.
h) Photographs
Digital• Images must be in TIFF format, png, jpeg and gif with a resolution of
not less than 300 dpi (or not less than 3 MB for a photo) as a result of aquality camera. It also must be from the original source (digital cameraor Photoshop software). Picture is in the text is not the highest quality for
printing, so the original image must be submitted separately.
i) Drawing and Graphs
Uniformity should be maintained in all artwork prepared for a single
manuscript.
• A good illustration is clear and simple. Lines and working should be kept
to a minimum.
• The number of curves on a graphs should not exceed four.
• The axes of graphs should be labelled clearly with both the quality
measured and the units in which it is measured.
• Each caption should be parallel to its axis.
• All lettering and numbers should read from left to right if possible, orfrom bottom to top if necessary.
• For plot-points the following symbols are recommended in order ofpreference:● ▲ ■ ▼ ○ △ ☐ ▽• No lines should pass through any lettering or symbol.

15

j)

Numbers in Text
As a rule, Arabic numerals are used to signify numerical values.

		 Write in full up to nine except where they occur with units ofmeasurement or where several numbers are being compared.
e.g. Symptoms developed from three to five days after the experiment
began. The numbers of trees affected in Plots A, B, and C were 155, 21
and 5 respectively.
• Commas are not use in numbers; they are arranged in groups of three.
e.g. 11 321 not 11,321
102 280 not 102,280
		However, a number with four digits has no space (unless if appears
with other larger numbers in a table).
• A number at the beginning of a sentence is normally written in full.
Preferably the sentence should be recast to avoid putting a number first.
• When a period of years is indicated by two dates separated by a dash theminimum number of figures should be used.
e.g. 1952-3, 1967-73
		However, write 16-18 not 16-8 (This rule applies to all numbers in thegroup 10-19 in each hundred).
• Figures should be used for numbers expressing a series and for page
numbers and dates.
e.g. 147oC-200oC
p.1-8
1 January 2001
• Decimal should be used instead of fractions for mixed numbers.
e.g. 2.5 litres instead of 2½ litres

16• In writing compound number adjectives the shorter of first number
should be spelt.
e.g. three 15-ml beakers• To avoid the possibility of misreading, a zero should be placed before thedecimal point in writing numbers with no integer.
e.g. 0.4973 not .4973• The use of exponential numbers is encouraged when appropriate.
e.g. 3.2 x 106 instead of 3 200 000• The number of significant figures given should be related to the accuracy.
This applies for instance to 0s at the end of a series of digits; thus, 8, 8.0,
8.00 indicate different degrees of precision.
Numbering of Sections in the Text
Numbering may start with each chapter or part: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2 and so on.
Furthur sub-divisions may be introduced, for example 1.1.6, 2.1.9, 2.2.1. A third
sub-division is rarely justified but may be used; further sub-divisions are notrecommended. Instead, bullets (•) could be used to replaced the numbers.
Headings in the Text
Attention should be paid to the use of proper headings. They assist thereader, especially at the second reading and they reveal to the writer any
illogicalities in the arrangement of paragraphs.
a) Main Heading within Text
In bold, capital, capital and centred. Text immediately below this heading
is not indented.
b) Sub-Heading
In bold with capital initial letters for main words above the text at the left ofthe page with no full stop. The following text should be indented.

17c) Sub-Sub-Heading
Indented, bold, underlined, on same line as text followed by full stop. No
initial capitals except for first word.
BIOLOGY DIVISION

→

e.g.

Main heading

As from 1 September 1979, the agriculture research activities of the Oil
Palm Branch, MARDI were reorganised to form the Biology Division of
PORIM. Consequent...

→

Research Activities

Sub-heading

The Biology Division devoted the major part of its research programme
to research projects...

→

Sub-sub-heading

Agronomy. The investigation into the nutrition of oil palm is being carriedout with the objective of examining the effect of....
Use of Italics
Italics help the reader to quickly distinguish letters, words or phrases fromthe rest of the text.
The use of italics in technical and scientific literature is very common andseveral conventions are rigidly observed.
The following are italicised:a) References to Tables, Figures, Experiments and Appendices in text.
b) The captions for figures including the word ‘Figure’.
c) Sub-Sub-Headings.
d) Words or phrases on which special emphasis is placed.
e) Foreign words and phrases.
f) Titles of books, journal, phamplets and periodicals and their abbreviations.

18g) Hyphenated prefixes to formulae, such as cis-, trans-, o-, m-, p-, but notchemical formulae.
h) Certain abbreviations:Ad-hoccf.
De novoe.g.
et al.
i.e.

in vitroin vivo
vice versa
viz.
vs.
in situi) Latin nomenclature, i.e. scientific names of plants and animal.
j)Trade names.

k) Mathematical variables.
l) Identification of letters or words referred to, e.g. the letter h.
Scientific Names
The scientific names of plants and animals are Latin binomials and areunderlined to appear in print.
a) Generic and specific names of plants and animals should be italicised but
not names of higher groups like orders and families.
e.g. Elaeis guineensis
but, Palmaeb) The specific name should never begin with a capital letter.
e.g. Elaeis oleifera and never Elaeis Oleifera.
c) All generic names should be italicised whether they stand alone or withthe specific names except in cases where the generic names have been very
commonly used.
e.g. the generic name Melanococca.

19d) The name of a variety should not be italicised.
e) The authority associated with the scientific name.
Should be mentioned after the name when it appear for the first time; itshould not be italicised.
e.g. Elaeis guineensis Jacq.
f) Where scientific names are used as adjectives and where they refer to thedisease instead of the organism they should not be contracted.
g) If a name is repeated many times in the text, the generic name should becontracted.
e.g. E. oleifera for Elaeis oleifera
However, generic names must be spelt out at first mention.
Units of Measurementa) Metric units or the International System of units should be used.
b) Abbreviation for units of measurement do not have full stops.
e.g. mmc) The abbreviation for litre, l, is normally avoided; the words should be infull.
d) In the plural form, no ‘s’ as added to abbreviations for units.
e.g. 8 cm
		 10 mle) Units of measurement should not be repeated unnecessarily.
e.g. 2 x 3 x 4 m instead 2 m x 3 m x 4 m

20

Exceptions include $, % and oC and cases where there is a word between
the measurements:
e.g. 9 m to 10 m
		 5 m and 11 m
		
If more than three measurements are given, the units are not repeatedhowever.
e.g. 8, 10, 12 and 14 cmf) The abbreviation for a temperature value consists of two parts, viz. thedegree sign and the distinctive abbreviation for the temperature scale used.
The two parts should always be adjacent to each other.
e.g. 5oC to 10oC of 5oC-10oC but not 5o to 10oC or 5o-10oC

21

SYMBOL FOR CORRECTING PROOFS
Symbol(beside text)
or

or

or

#
eg

or

#

stet
tr

Meaning

Example(inside text)

deletetake it out

close up

print as o ne word

delete and close up

cloose up

caret

insert here

insert a space

put onehere

space evenly

space evenly where indicatedlet standlet marked text stand as set

transposechange order thesomethingused to separate two or
more marks and often asa concluding stroke at theend of an insertion[

set farther to the left]

set farther to the righttoo

set as ligature (such as)encyclopaediaalign horizontallyalignmentalign vertically// align with surrounding text

broken character

imperfect//x

too far to the right
far to the leftindent or insert em quad
space

sp

cap

sm cap or s.c.
lc
ital
rom
bold
-/ or /H/

22

begin a new paragraphspell out

set 5 kg as five kilogram

set in CAPITALS

set nato as NATOset in small capitalset signal as signal

set in lowercase

set South as south

set in italic

set guineensis as guineensis

set in roman

set ratio as ratio

set in bold

set important as importanthypheninfra-redSymbol(beside text)
en or /N/

Meaning

Example(inside text)

en dash2010–2012superscript or superior

year1 as in year1

subscript or inferiorsquare3 as in square3

comma
apostrophe““: or :
or

(/)
[/]
wf

‘

n.p.
run onsemicolon‘; or ;/

fullstop or periodcolon
quotation marks
parentheses
brackets
wrong fontwrong siZe or typeface

move matter to right(indent)

Claim fo quantam leap in yieldand other trait improvements...

begin a new paragraph....in interpreting soil analytical
data. Analytical values fororganic...

no fresh paragraph here....in interpreting soil analytical
data.
Analytical values for organic...

23

REFERENCES
Berger, K G (1980). Unpublished memorandum by Palm Oil Research Instituteof Malaysia (Ref. 4-048/01).
British Standards Institution (1972). The representation of research anddevelopment reports (BS 4811).
British Standards Institution (1972). Citing publications by bibliographicalreferences.
Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (1977). RRIM House Style. Rubber
Research Institute of Malaysia, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia.
* The RRIM House Style is mainly based on recommendations of the British
Standards Institution.

24

NOTES

25

NOTES

26

27

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