I think someone's watching...

Or reading. My students, maybe. Because, since I put up the link to Dr. P's rules for papers, I collected a bunch. And you know what? Only one paper clip, and one folded-corner, among them. Lots of lovely staples.

On the other hand, the first paragraphs may still need some work. I'm not sure. I haven't read them yet.

Really, I don't endorse all of Dr. P's rules. I don't actually care that much about the staples, for example. I happen to have a stapler in my office, and I know how to use it, so the unstapled papers are only a minor irritation, if even that. No biggie. The plastic report covers have been mercifully killed, apparently--I almost never see those. And when I do, it's because they are big long papers that might not even hold together with a staple, so, again, no biggie.

If only rules for papers were easy, in other words, I would have some myself. And my students would follow them, because my students almost always follow the rules, and then they'd all get As and we'd all be happy. Well, the grade-inflation police wouldn't, but everyone else.

But, alas. Not so easy.