Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!lll-winken!uunet!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!aipna!cstr!tim From: tim@cstr.ed.ac.uk (Tim Bradshaw) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex Subject: Theses: a cry for help! Message-ID: Date: 9 Nov 90 18:17:26 GMT Sender: news@aipna.ed.ac.uk Distribution: comp Organization: CSTR, University of Edinburgh Lines: 31 Here at Edinburgh the University recommendations for theses specify `1.5 to 2' line spacing, and these regulations are enforced. This means that theses both look nasty and are hard to read (and also that I spend a lot of time breaking my nice thesis document style!). Clearly this regulation dates from the days of typewritten theses: it's just bizarre to take output from something like TeX and damage it like this. But bureaucrats don't like change do they? However it seems at least *possible* that we could get this changed if we really try. So, I would like to do several things: Collect references to research showing that there are optimal values for things like line spacing and length. I remember reading papers long ago which gave some fairly convincing results on this stuff, but I can't find them or remember where I read them. If possible, collect messages from *influential* typesetting-type people saying that double line spacing is a Bad Thing. In particular I remember, I think, that Leslie Lamport offered to write in support of this some time ago, but I don't really know if he did, or his mail address if he did! If anyone can help with either of these things I would be very grateful: it's for a good cause! --tim tim Bradshaw. Internet: tim%ed.cstr@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk UUCP: ...!uunet!mcvax!ukc!cstr!tim JANET: tim@uk.ac.ed.cstr "...wizzards & inchanters..."