Editing your document for consistency helps you present information and ideas in a uniform way. Use the following techniques to edit for consistency:
Treat concepts consistently. Review your document for consistent treatment of concepts, information, ideas, definitions, and anecdotes.
Use numbers consistently. Check the documentation system you are using for its guidelines on the treatment of numbers. You might find, for instance, that you should spell out the numbers zero through nine and use Arabic numerals for numbers larger than nine.
Treat your sources consistently. Avoid referring to some sources using first names and to others using honorifics, such as Dr., Mr., or Ms. Also check that you have cited your sources appropriately for the documentation style you are using, such as MLA or APA (see Chapters 21 and 22). Review each reference for consistent presentation of names, page numbers, and publication dates.
Format your document consistently. Avoid any inconsistencies in your use of fonts, headings, and subheadings and in your placement and captioning of images, tables, charts, and other illustrations (see Chapter 16).