You Know What I Think?
I think that if you've set a goal of making a standardized format in which people can write research papers and journal articles, making them all meet the same standards of readability and utility, across institutions and national boundaries, and it takes a whole book to outline your rules, you've failed. You're a failure. Instead of a useful tool, it has become a boundary.
You had a good initial idea. If everyone writes citations the same way, wouldn't that be cool? Great, let's make that a rule. But you know what's the problem with rules? You shouldn't make one if it needs 13,000 exceptions. That makes the rule a failure. And you? That's right, you're a failure too.
Edit: in all fairness, I've never cracked the book open. It might be a really enjoyable read. Who knows?
I sure don't.
You had a good initial idea. If everyone writes citations the same way, wouldn't that be cool? Great, let's make that a rule. But you know what's the problem with rules? You shouldn't make one if it needs 13,000 exceptions. That makes the rule a failure. And you? That's right, you're a failure too.
Edit: in all fairness, I've never cracked the book open. It might be a really enjoyable read. Who knows?
I sure don't.
posted by Lucas at 11:54 PM
1 comments
