While we're on the subject - and with thanks to all the people who've helped
to demystify Harvard and its current hegemony - I think it's time to
celebrate the merits of numeric footnoting.
I can't be the only reader who finds bracketed author/date references (any
version) distracting. It breaks up the flow of a sentence, especially when
there are several references, whereas you can choose to ignore footnotes
until you get to the end of that section. It's also much easier to drop your
eyes to the bottom of the page to get the reference details rather than
having to turn to the back of the book or end of the article. (I'd also
prefer to omit shorthand forms like ibid. or op. cit. in favour of a more
immediately intelligible/fuller citation)
I also like the fact that footnotes can incorporate additional commentary
that doesn't quite belong in the main text, but provides a worthwhile or
enlivening optional extra. (Before the days of sidebars and hyperlinks,
footnotes were about the only way you could do this)
The one disadvantage of footnotes (rather than endnotes) when I was a
student was the fiddle of getting page layout right - or of having to retype
and renumber everything if you made changes. But wordprocessing packages
have removed that problem - so why do so many people/disciplines still
prefer bracketed intext references??
Now back to that paper I'm supposed to be writing....
-----Original Message-----
From: learning development in higher education network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Margo Blythman
Sent: 03 February 2006 15:39
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Academic Referencing Conventions
Good point - it never occured to me that Harvard University was also called
after John Harvard!
However, what led me to my inital position was that no American academics I
know have ever heard of 'Harvard referencing' therefore any relationship it
has to Harvard university must be lost in the mists of history.
Re which system science uses/used, in my initial posting some months ago
asking what system(s) people used, Lewis Elton pointed out that Medicine
uses a numeric system - so I used that to claim 'poshness' for the numeric
as well - Medicine at UCL is almost Harvard !!!!!
Margo
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Wilson <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 14:48:33 +0000
Subject: Re: Academic Referencing Conventions
I attach the latest (developing) blast in my concerns about the dispute that
will run and run...
Peter
Peter Wilson
University Teaching Fellow
Academic Writing and Study Skills Adviser
Study Advice Services
University of Hull
Dr Margo Blythman
LCC Director of Teaching and Learning
London College of Communication
University of the Arts London
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