So in order to finish my dissertation, I have to put it in a very demanding template so that the graduate school will approve it. This is all well and good because I have editing experience and can handle working in a template. Here's the problem: I work in a discipline that is very footnote intensive (averaging about 4-5 per page). The template guidelines say that footnotes must have a double-space between them. However, there is no specific style for this in the template. I found this strange because they have specific styles for everything else. I worried I had missed something. Adding the required space is not difficult, mind you, but the format guidelines are inflexible and those who don't follow them risk torture and death (well, they risk not graduating).
I emailed the Graduate Editorial Office, which is in charge of these things. I asked if I had missed something. They replied by telling me that there is no specific footnote style because Word (yes, I'm still bound to Microsoft software for some things) does very well with footnotes thank you very much. They then gave basic directions for inserting a footnote (this I already knew). So I replied that I knew about inserting footnotes, but please tell me what you expect me to do about the spaces that are still missing. I then got another "helpful" email telling me to select them all and then change the paragraph formatting to include a 10-point space after each paragraph. Fine. But what about the font problems?
I would have thought that with such strict guidelines they could have fixed the footnote style in the template. But I guess that was just too much work for them to add one measly style rule. I decided it would be better for me just to bring my trusty iBook in and make sure everything is OK. I'm a wimp, yes, but I hope soon to be a wimp with a degree.
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