Westfield State College Writer's Guide

• Naming Constants, Variables, Functions and Other Mathematical Objects should be done only when necessary; that is when they will be used frequently throughout the work, when they will appear in displayed formulas, or when they will be used as composite functions. In general, constants are denoted by lowercase letters at the beginning of the English alphabet: a,b,c; variables are denoted by lower case letters at the end of the English alphabet: s,t,x,y,z; functions are generally denoted by lower case letters in the middle of the English alphabet: f,g,h (although there are notable exceptions, like using F to denote the antiderivative of f); matrices are generally denoted by upper case letters in the English alphabet; the Greek delta and epsilon are generally reserved for small variable quantities like those that appear in estimates in limit proofs, analysis estimates, etc.
• Function Names should be used and used consistently. If f(x)=2x+1 then the appropriate name for the function is f, not f(x). The notation f(x) means, precisely, the value of the function f at the point x. Thus, f(x) is only used as the name of the function when the nature of the independent variable is important or when composite functions like f(g(x)) are utilized. Moreover, 2x+1 is not a function, it is an expression. Functions show a relationship between an input or independent variable and a output or dependent variable. If one wishes to use include 2x+1 without using the standard f(x)=2x+1 or y=2x+1 they can write x --> 2x+1 to show the functional relationship.
• Mathematical Symbols are critical for clarity, but often overused. Use symbols to clarify, not simply because you have discovered how to write them or type them on your wordprocessor.
• References are universally provided at the end of a paper; i.e. as endnotes rather than footnotes. Footnotes, while sometimes utilized in mathematical writing, are almost never used to provide a reference. The reference section is generally organized alphabetically by the author's last name and then chronologically for a given author.
• Citation Style for References in mathematical writing varies remarkably from journal to journal and publisher to publisher. When you need to cite references follow guidelines from your teacher or the style of an appropriate journal. Be consistent throughout a given paper.
• Citation Style for Citations typically follows the following examples:
  • [Fle] or [Fleron] for the paper by Addie Fleron listed in the reference section
  • [Fle 3] or [Fleron 3] for the third paper by Jacob Fleron, listed chronologically, in the reference section
  • [17] for the seventeenth paper in the reference section, listed alphabetically and chronologically for a given author

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