Punctuation - Does It Really Matter?
While I'm sure that Lynne Truss would emphatically say "Yes" to the question in the title, I wonder if anyone else really cares. The reason I ask is because of the degree I'm pursuing, the dual "MD/PhD." That slash bugs me. I've only understood the slash to be used for the following functions:
Arithmetically, it really makes no sense. You don't divide one degree by another, although, talking to some people, the presence of one of those degrees somehow dilutes the strength of the other. You hear that from both MD's and PhD's. We are considered neither good clinicians nor competent researchers. We get no love from either.
From a written perspective, I assume that most people would apply the "either/or" usage of the slash whenever they saw "MD/PhD". "Well, which is it?" they would ask. "What - you got into medical school and couldn't decide?" Explaining that it's a combined degree, and that we have training in both clinical practice and laboratory science, most people tend to understand at that point, but in discussing that with other people in the medical field, we end up rehashing the "degree dilution" argument (see above).
I would prefer the punctuation in "MD, PhD" because the comma tends to insinuate the presence of both, rather than either. Of course, were I to list that properly, I'd have to include periods and all of a sudden the abbreviation becomes a cumbersome "M.D., Ph.D." and quite the headache to read. I wonder if there's some sort of limitation on how I list this degree - do I have to print it as it will be printed on my diploma, which is sure to display the less desirable slash, or do I have some degree of self-determination?
Perhaps this obsession with the slash is merely hiding my anxiety that no matter how one punctuates this particular combined degree, one can define it by the following quote:
- In arithmetic, it's used for fractions or as a symbol of the division operator.
- Shorthand for dates, so "July 26, 2005" becomes the more convenient "7/26/2005". I prefer using periods in my shorthand (7.26.05), as it looks cleaner and there's no possibility of confusing the slash with a "1".
- In written prose, the slash can be shorthand for "or". Of course, I find this silly when used in the phrases "and/or" or "either/or" as it is redundant.
- An annoying yet necessary component of website addresses, I suppose. Computer programmers operate under a whole other set of rules.
Arithmetically, it really makes no sense. You don't divide one degree by another, although, talking to some people, the presence of one of those degrees somehow dilutes the strength of the other. You hear that from both MD's and PhD's. We are considered neither good clinicians nor competent researchers. We get no love from either.
From a written perspective, I assume that most people would apply the "either/or" usage of the slash whenever they saw "MD/PhD". "Well, which is it?" they would ask. "What - you got into medical school and couldn't decide?" Explaining that it's a combined degree, and that we have training in both clinical practice and laboratory science, most people tend to understand at that point, but in discussing that with other people in the medical field, we end up rehashing the "degree dilution" argument (see above).
I would prefer the punctuation in "MD, PhD" because the comma tends to insinuate the presence of both, rather than either. Of course, were I to list that properly, I'd have to include periods and all of a sudden the abbreviation becomes a cumbersome "M.D., Ph.D." and quite the headache to read. I wonder if there's some sort of limitation on how I list this degree - do I have to print it as it will be printed on my diploma, which is sure to display the less desirable slash, or do I have some degree of self-determination?
Perhaps this obsession with the slash is merely hiding my anxiety that no matter how one punctuates this particular combined degree, one can define it by the following quote:
"You spent how long to get the "MD, PhD"?.......DUMBASS!"
posted by Mikey at 1:28 PM
7 Comments:
How about a hyphen? MD-PhD, like MD wants to keep its maiden name but still recognize the marriage with PhD nonetheless. Just a crazy thought.
Yeah, the hyphen has also been used. However, one can confuse the hyphen with the subtraction operator, and we get into the whole arithmetic discussion cycle all over again :)
Programmer's perspective:
You people need to start using the really cool punctutation that us nerds figured out years ago, like the pipe character "|" . Yeah! "MD|PhD".
- JPZ
MD+PhD Eh? EH?!
How about getting more complex? You could use symbolic logic and use this symbol for "and": ^
MD^PhD
Problem solved.
(((MD ^ PhD) v ~C*) -> (~(MD v PhD) <-> C))
*Where C = "Crazy"
I'm still undecided on the purpose of the exact punctuation. If it needs to be concise then I think either "MD|PhD" or "MD+PhD" would easily serve.
On the other hand, I think there is fun to be had with complete confusion. "MD^PhD" is deceptive, in that it looks simple, but given that (in my opinion) the general public has very little use for logic, I'm sure they wouldn't recognize ANY logic symbols. Hence, I love
"(((MD ^ PhD) v ~C*) -> (~(MD v PhD) <-> C))"
because I have no idea what it means.
Here are some other considerations:
"MD±PhD": I got one, perhaps the other, which one will I use?
"MD♫PhD": The MD and PhD make beautiful music together.
"MD♥PhD": Aw, one degree loves the other - but does the other love it back???
"MD☺PhD" or "MD☻PhD": Combined degrees can be racially diverse!
And, the one I'm most likely to go with, as soon as Big Business comes and buys me out:
"MD™PhD™"
"Pipe character" . . . so that's what that thing is called. I've been wondering for years.
I know nothing about the job-search process for people like you, but I think you should use whatever notation is appropriate for the kind of job you're looking for. For example, why not:
MD, 2007
PhD, 2005
And then if someone's curious about the chronology, you casually say that you took time off from med school to work on the PhD. Because you had a burning desire to learn about something and you have since seen the error of your ways. I have a friend who does that sort of thing ALL the time.
I would say you should only worry about listing it as a dual degree if that duality is important to a potential employer. Like, if the job description specifically says "Applicant should hold a minimum degree of MD/PhD and have 3-5 years experience working in a research environment," then you should refer to your degree in that manner. If your goal is to be a clinician, then I'd emphasize the clinical degree.
Oh, and I think your on-line CV should use emoticons instead of static icons.
Jocelyn
Way to let the air out of the tires, Jocelyn. Perhaps I was being too subtle, but I was hoping the inanity of the argument would lead to the understanding that the degree itself is a bit of a silly thing.
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