238 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



are valuable additions to every valuable article. But an introductory 

 summary has still another value: it enables a reader quickly to deter- 

 mine whether he ought to read the rest of the essay or not, and this, 

 in an era of over-abundant publication, is a service that will secure to 

 the author the gratitude of many strangers to the rest of his work. 

 Still another aid to the reader is afforded by a brief statement of the 

 plan of treatment, may well follow the introductory summary of results ; 

 the reader can then, if he wishes, give attention only to some particular 

 part of the essay which interests him, and pass over the rest. 



Page headings and sectional headings deserve careful preparation 

 because of their great value to the reader. Page headings are, however, 

 often determined more by the editor of a journal or publisher of a book 

 than by the author. But if authors more frequently protested against 

 the undesirable form of page headings often in use, improvement in this 

 respect might be sooner attained. It is surely of no practical value to 

 a reader, who consults, for example, a volume of the " National Journal 

 of Physiography," to find that name repeated at the head of every left- 

 hand page. The name of a journal is sufficiently given on the title 

 page and on the cover of the volume. Likewise it is not particularly 

 helpful to read in every left-page heading of a long essay, " J. Smith," 

 and in every right-page heading, " The Geography of Uruguay." In 

 such an essay, the left heading should give the author's name and a 

 short catch-title, as " Smith : Uruguay " ; and the right heading should 

 state the chief topics of the two pages that lie open with it, as " Coast 

 and Harbors." It is always the convenience of the reader, not the pref- 

 erence of an editor, or the fashion of a printer, or the habit of a 

 librarian that should determine matters of this sort. Old-fashioned 

 habit is, however, sometimes so powerful that the reader's convenience is 

 less thought of than consistency with a scheme of page headings adopted 

 many years ago. 



Sectional headings are usually within the control of the author. 

 Let him then see that this authority is used for the benefit of his readers. 

 There should be at least one sectional heading for every two or three 

 pages; indeed a more frequent use of sectional headings is ordinarily 

 possible and convenient. If all such headings and their page numbers 

 are gathered in a table of contents at the beginning of a long essay, 

 80 much the better for the reader. 



Good technical style is frequently neglected in making references to 

 other authors. The titles of cited books and articles are best placed all 

 together at the end of an article, or at the end of the chapters of a book ; 

 they should always be scrupulously accurate and complete. Citations 

 in foot-notes, and especially such abbreviated forms as "loc. cit.,'* 

 " op. cit," " ut supra," should be avoided : indeed, foot-notes of all sorts 

 are distracting to the reader. If they relate to the matter of the text, 

 they can usually, by a slight change in phraseology or in arrangement. 



