Sunday, March 14, 2010

Find Something Less Clinically Relevant? Impossible

I had forgotten about the truly banal undertaking which is: the bibliography. Yes, the-completely-irrelevant-for-clinical-practice icing on the giant-waste-of-time paper I just finished.

I know, I know. I'll get flamed because the most important thing in the world is research (when it comes to medicine). If it wasn't for research we'd still be letting the Barber do the bloodletting and cupping. We'd still believe in the miasma model of disease. Hence, the importance of paper writing and bibliography mastering.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

This doesn't change the fact that having to spend 3 hours of my precious Sunday going through my paper and dotting all the "p.p"'s and crossing all the "t"'s smacks of medieval torture in my books.

"Is it italics or underline for a title of a book? Journal? What about when you say the entire title in the essay? Or should you not double space quotes of >40 words in the body and indent the author name before returning to double space?" These are the questions I love having to answer.

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Have mercy on me oh Academic demons! 


P.S My apologies to Old MD Girl who I know is writing a grant right now (i.e is about 7 circles of hell lower than a simple bibliography boredom). 

6 comments:

OMDG said...

Honey, you need to get some bibliography software. Working on citations is STILL the 2nd circle of hell, but at least then the software does the formatting FOR YOU.

As a side note, it's seriously depressing to look at my grant and see all the little yellow "citation needed" notes I've made to myself. Each one of those represents a 30-60 minute search for an appropriate article.

Bleh.

Maha said...

I despite bibliographies with a special intensity. But what I hate more is the anal professors who will dock 10 marks for a comma that's missing! The rage becomes too much to bear at times.

RH said...

Old MD Girl is right. I bet there are better ones out their, but I use this one (http://www.easybib.com/products/mybibpro). The Pro version is an annual subscription, but it is worth it to get rid of the free versions ads.

Anonymous said...

Oh i understand how you feel. I HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. And then the references need to be updated, and it starts all over again.

Try EndNote. I am using it, and so far i am still surviving. You should check with your University, they should provided the software free for download. Mine does.

Liana said...

Another vote for Endnote :)

Albinoblackbear said...

And what have I learned from this post?

Whine in the blogosphere and people will come to your rescue!

:)

And--everyone feels my pain. Bibs and citations are universally cruel and unusual.

Thanks for the suggestions and commiserations.