Authoring a PhD

Subject, Verb, Object
– a core principle of English grammar in con-
structing sentences. Do not separate a subject from the main verb or
the verb from its object. Qualifying or subordinate clauses should
come at the beginnings or ends of sentences but not in the middle.
And such clauses should never come between subject, verb and
object. [pp. 114–17]
Three (or four) effective digits
– a rule of thumb for how much
numerical detail should be presented in tables. Only three or four
effective digits
or numbers should vary from one data point to the
next. The other elements of numbers should be rounded up or cut
or rebased to achieve this effect. For example, with three effective
digits the number 1,346,899 would become 1,350,000 or 1.35 mil-
lion. With four effective digits it would become 1,347,000. [p. 275]