Re: This Lispofobics really gone too far

Ulrich Hobelmann <u.hobelmann@xxxxxx> writes:

> Ok, but (I was in the USA the last 9 months and there) I saw lots of
> cases where we were supposed to turn in double-spaced stuff and I
> wonder why.

To my knowledge, it's a relic of the old publishing method where the
copy editor or proofreader indicated needed changes using symbols above
and below the line of text. Then the copy was shipped back to the author
who was responsible for the necessary changes. The author then
submitted a corrected draft. That copy, if approved would be sent to the
typesetter (with perhaps more notes in the margins and between the
lines) who then created beautiful single-spaced copy. This process is
also why some publication styles put the tables and figures at the back
of the manuscript.

I actually participated in this process when I was a kid, printing out
reams of double-spaced thesis on a dot matrix printer connected to a
C64. My dad was pretty cutting edge in musicology at the time for
using a word processor. You must remember that although LaTeX goes back
to the 1970s, most people didn't have access to high-quality printers
until the mid-90s. Thesis styles are a relic of the recent past.

If you are curious, here is a list of proofreading symbols:
http://webster.commnet.edu/writing/symbols.htm

I learned to write on a typewriter, so I'm comfortable printing out
double-spaced copy, proofreading with a cup of coffee and bagel over
lunch, and making the edits in the afternoon.

> Oh, I'll surely use whatever format they want. It's just that most
> theses I see (and most papers published anywhere) are single-spaced,
> and my supervisors also never mentioned that I should use other than
> single-space.

Many journals have a "submission" and "publication" style. Usually the
"submission" style is both typewriter-friendly and double-spaced to be
editor-friendly. Then the "publication" style is single-spaced and
reader-friendly. This is slowly changing. The American Pychological
Association just recently (last three years) approved the use of italic
and bold text in their "submission" style.

> For my Spanish paper that made sense, but in a doctorate thesis there
> should (I hope!) be no need to write lots of stuff between the lines;
> margins are totally fine.
>
> Well, I'll see what my professors will tell me...

The problem is that just about everybody uses letter or A4 paper. With
10-12 point text, letter and A4 is too wide by a huge margin. There are
three ways around this: huge margins (shortens the width of lines),
increase the whitespace between lines (helps to keep the eye on the
line), or multi-column text. Multi-column text is out of the question
because it can be a PITA even with a good typesetting program. This
leaves two alternatives that end up with a lot of whitespace on the
page.

I'm certain that in 20 years, graduate schools and publishers will shift
to a standard that takes advantage of high-quality laser printers,
software and multimedia. Until then, I fear many of us are doomed to
use word processors to imitate typewritten text.

>
> --
> No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's
> consent. -- Abraham Lincoln

--
Kirk Job-Sluder
"The square-jawed homunculi of Tommy Hilfinger ads make every day an
existential holocaust." --Scary Go Round
.

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