Rules to write mathematics to clarify metrics such as the land use dynamic degrees

Context Scientists frequently describe temporal change among land categories by reporting the single land use dynamic degree and the comprehensive land use dynamic degree (CLUDD). The original intention of CLUDD was to compute the annual change percentage, which is the size of annual change expressed as a percentage of the size of the spatial extent. However, the literature’s mathematical descriptions of CLUDD have been unclear, thus readers have imagined various ways to compute CLUDD. Objectives Our manuscript clarifies the confusion and offers rules for mathematical notation so that authors can avoid future confusion. Methods We examine the literature to see how authors have computed and interpreted the land use dynamic degrees. We illustrate deficiencies of one version of CLUDD. Then we propose equations for the components of annual change percentage. Results The literature shows three common misunderstandings. First, some authors add percentages of categories without accounting for the sizes of the categories. Second, other authors compute either double or half of the annual change percentage. Third, many authors interpret CLUDD as if CLUDD were the annual change percentage when they use a version of CLUDD that is not the annual change percentage. Conclusions We recommend that the professional community use annual change percentage, its three components and Intensity Analysis to express temporal change among categories. Vague mathematical notation has created confusion concerning the land use dynamic degrees; therefore, we give rules for how to write mathematics clearly in a manner that applies to many professions.