BibTeX field: number

How to use the number field in BibTeX?

The number field is used to store the number of the report for a techreport entry, and the issue number for a journal article.

number = 3
number = "GAO-19-35"
number = {GAO-19-35}
number = "Special Issue"

How the number field is used in BibTeX entry types

BibTeX entryDescriptionnumber field
articleJournal articleoptional
bookBookoptional
bookletPrinted work without a publisher
inbookAny section in a bookoptional
incollectionA titled section of a bookoptional
inproceedingsConference paperoptional
manualManual
mastersthesisMaster's thesis
miscMiscellaneous: if nothing else fits
phdthesisPhD thesis
techreportTechnical report or white paperoptional
unpublishedA work that has not yet been officially published