Expressing temperature measurements

   MT Reference Style Guide  >  Medical Transcription Grammar, Usage and Style  >  Measurements and Quantities  >  Conventional (non-metric) units of measure  >  Expressing temperature measurements

Spell out the word minus to indicate temperatures below zero. Do not use the symbol.

It was solidly frozen at minus 48 ºC.
NOT
It was solidly frozen at -48 ºC.

Temperature degrees are expressed with numerals, with the exception of zero, which is spelled out.

36 degrees
36 ºC
BUT
zero degrees

If the temperature scale name or abbreviation for it is not provided, do not insert it.

For a complete description of the different temperature scales, see the following Wikipedia pages: Fahrenheit, Celsius (or centigrade) and Kelvin.