Agree with you normatively, but not empirically - if some papers were clearer I suspect they'd be more likely to get rejected because people would realise they're doing silly things, or not doing very much at all!

I think that is obviously true in general, but doesn't explain why they stopped asked me as much in 2022-24!

That was speedy! Sounds like it might drift down my reading pile...

But also, I only discovered her in June, so next year I'm in with a shot at the top spot... 😆

I was going to say yes, because I'm ill with my fifth one since October (I think, the boundaries a hazy...). But then I remembered you live in a different country 😂

But also you probably know more parents of three year olds than you used to 😆🤧🤒

Fair enough!

Many congratulations to you both! Good luck for the nights ahead!

I haven't actually read it but this is now very high up on my reading list, and is apparently amazing: www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...

Now I have to trawl through my dropbox to find my own papers so I can remember what I said in them...

If there's a bibliography, use a reference style that uses initials rather than names, delete dois and urls. Use journal abbreviations if you can.

Words: 'that' can be deleted most of the time 'I argue that x y z' -> 'I argue x y z'

Rephrase 'the x of y' -> y's x

For example -> e.g.

Delete adverbs

If it's page based, turn off widow and orphan control, use indenting rather than line breaks for new paragraphs, and reduce letter spacing a tiny bit.

All of which make things look worse typographically, but arbitrary rules produce poor outcomes...

Yeah I'm guessing they managed to change their mailing list settings, didn't turn into quite the disaster it could have been!

I am nothing if not optimistic about the chances of me having time to finish all my random paper ideas one day in spite of all the prevailing evidence to the contrary 😆

True about the data, but this has rather taken the wind out of the sails of the 'PCC elections don't provide accountability, we should probably get rid of them' framing it would have had...

Thanks Hanna! Hope all is well and the PhD is off to a good start!