The article below details the change in policy at Wikipedia. Teachers at all levels have for years told their students that Wikipedia is NOT a valid source for research, as its user-generated content is not checked and often incorrect. While this change does not completely solve the problem, it is a step in the right direction.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/26/wikipedia.editors/index.html
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Punctuation, Style Guides, and Rules
Our dear friend Rachel wrote a few months ago with this question: "OK - here it is - how many spaces between sentences - one or two? At work they insist it is two (and it was two when I was in high school), but when I go to publish scientific literature it is one. Who is right?"
Well, Rachel, they both are right. Bad answer, huh?
Here's the longer answer:
Academic, scientific, and news publications all have writing style guides that they use. These vary widely. Most of us are taught writing in high school English classes, and those classes use MLA, or the Modern Language Association, standards. MLA calls for two spaces between sentences. But there are many other standards out there (below I've included links to some of the more popular style guides). On top of that, many journals modify a particular style to their own requirements. I just recently submitted an article for publication in an archaeology journal and ran into the same problem as you, Rachel. I am MLA trained and have yet to get used to the styles used in the archaeology world (here is a hint: use the Microsoft "Find and Replace" option when you are done writing to change two spaces, ". ", to one space ". " It saves a ton of time!).
It is one of those frustrating realities that, for each place that you write, you will need to adhere to its requirements. No one is right and no one is wrong. Typically, though, most people are used to two spaces. I suspect many publications go with one space to save space in their journals.
Here are links to three of the more popular style guides:
MLA: The Modern Language Associate does not offer a free version online, but the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Perdue has some of the material available on their fabulous website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
APA: The website for the American Psychological Associate has a lot of helpful information on this commonly used style: http://www.apastyle.org/
Chicago: The Chicago Manual of Style also has a very useful online site: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Well, Rachel, they both are right. Bad answer, huh?
Here's the longer answer:
Academic, scientific, and news publications all have writing style guides that they use. These vary widely. Most of us are taught writing in high school English classes, and those classes use MLA, or the Modern Language Association, standards. MLA calls for two spaces between sentences. But there are many other standards out there (below I've included links to some of the more popular style guides). On top of that, many journals modify a particular style to their own requirements. I just recently submitted an article for publication in an archaeology journal and ran into the same problem as you, Rachel. I am MLA trained and have yet to get used to the styles used in the archaeology world (here is a hint: use the Microsoft "Find and Replace" option when you are done writing to change two spaces, ". ", to one space ". " It saves a ton of time!).
It is one of those frustrating realities that, for each place that you write, you will need to adhere to its requirements. No one is right and no one is wrong. Typically, though, most people are used to two spaces. I suspect many publications go with one space to save space in their journals.
Here are links to three of the more popular style guides:
MLA: The Modern Language Associate does not offer a free version online, but the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Perdue has some of the material available on their fabulous website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
APA: The website for the American Psychological Associate has a lot of helpful information on this commonly used style: http://www.apastyle.org/
Chicago: The Chicago Manual of Style also has a very useful online site: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Foriegn Language Goof
We love it when they goof up in another language; in this case, all seems to be well with just a few friendly jokes!
Taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090307/od_afp/russiausdiplomacyoffbeat_20090307074740
Russian media teases Clinton over 'reset' button
MOSCOW (AFP) – Russian media has been poking fun at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she gave her Russian counterpart a "reset" button with an ironic misspelling.
Clinton's gift to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at their meeting in Geneva on Friday evening was meant to underscore the Obama administration's readiness to "to press the reset button" in ties with Moscow.
But instead of the Russian word for "reset" (perezagruzka) it featured a slightly different word meaning "overload" or "overcharged" (peregruzka).
Daily newspaper Kommersant put a prominent picture of the fake red button on its front page and declared: "Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton pushed the wrong button."
A correspondent for NTV television called it a "symbolic mistake," pointing out that US-Russian ties had become overcharged in recent years due to discord over such issues as missile defence and last summer's war in Georgia.
"The friendly US gesture was upturned by a small amusing incident," the news website wrote in an article posted late Friday evening.
"Yet this curious episode did not stop Clinton and Lavrov from pushing the button in front of television cameras."
US Vice-President Joe Biden spoke of pressing the "reset button" on relations between Moscow and Washington during a speech in Germany last month. It has since been repeated in various forms by both US and Russian officials.
Taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090307/od_afp/russiausdiplomacyoffbeat_20090307074740
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Happy National Grammar Day!
It's National Grammar Day, 2009! The Syntax Sisters are asking you all this month to share your favorite grammar blunders in our blog; you can email us at syntaxsisters@yahoo.com or post it in our comments section. We'll be posting our own favorites there soon!
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