Yes, small child (and multiple pets) means we're going with the "slap some athlete's-foot cream on it" theory. I figure if it doesn't clear up in a few more days, then I go to the doctor.

I answered some work emails from my phone this morning, but one person keeps bouncing back, even though it's the right address...and I replied-all on another thing and she was like 'yeah, that's weird, send it again?" so I have no idea what's going on.

Gah, my boss did it again -- short version is that I edited a commentary that basically said "The study by [Author 1], published in this issue, showed a median value of 5 years. This is similar to a report by [Author 2], who showed an average of 4.5 years."

Boss changed "average" to "median" because Author 1 reported a median. But we don't know if Author 2 reported a median, because it wasn't a study we published -- it was just a reference cited, which we don't read because we don't have infinite time. So since we don't know what the content of Author 2's reference says, I didn't change "average" to "median" just to be matchy.

I even explained that to Boss (in a more professional manner), and she said, "Well, they were inconsistent, so we'll see if they notice is when they return them!"

I don't think she even read what I said. Was I not clear? The commentary was on Author 1, whose article is published in the same issue of JAMA, so we can literally read it with our eyes and see it uses the word "median" verbatim. But because Author 2 is just a reference from another journal, we didn't read it and therefore can't know whether "average" is correct or not, so we can't just change the word because we want them to match.

I feel like everything I'm saying is coming out in some other language today. How is that not clear? We can't just change things for which we have no reference to confirm it should be changed!

I get that I make mistakes and Boss needs to give me feedback on that, but that wasn't a mistake -- it was a deliberate choice based on the information we could access.

Seriously, I'm ready for that job as the village idiot. At least no one can tell me I'm doing it wrong.

Psst, if you are correct about things, you can't really be the village idiot.

Seriously, I'm ready for that job as the village idiot. At least no one can tell me I'm doing it wrong.

Just because it wouldn't make sense does not mean it wouldn't happen.

Does your boss know there's a meaningful difference between "average" and "median" and you can't just substitute one for the other as if they're synonyms?

Does your boss know there's a meaningful difference between "average" and "median" and you can't just substitute one for the other as if they're synonyms?

She totally does. I wanted to ask her if she's just going through my work really quickly and missed the part where one sentence referred to a median cited in reference 1, but the sentence that uses the word "average" refers to reference 2. I feel like she went through my work so quickly that she thinks *both* sentences refer to reference 1 and therefore should say "median".

And when the author corrections come back and the author tells us it should say "average", she won't remember that I'm NOT an idiot who doesn't know how to edit. Damn it, I totally own my mistakes, but this is NOT a mistake.

we'll see if they notice is when they return them!

No, they probably won't, because they probably aren't reading with an eye to making sure you didn't change their words. I've had more than one author "confess" to me that he didn't actually read his proofs. Your boss shouldn't be changing their words without flagging them on it unless it's an obvious misspelling or typo. tsk

Totally on your side. If you're the village idiot, we need two villages.

Your boss shouldn't be changing their words without flagging them on it unless it's an obvious misspelling or typo.

I actually *asked* her if we should query the author to see if changing "average" to "median" is okay, and that's when she said "They were inconsistent, so we'll see what they say!"

She's really normally not careless, so I think maybe she's just massively overworked and going through my stuff really quickly.

No, wait -- I just checked the copy we sent, and she *did* specifically query the author "Okay to change to 'median', since that term is used in the previous sentence?"

So we'll look crazy, but at least the author can give us a definitive "No! You people are crazy!"

I just checked the copy we sent, and she *did* specifically query the author

Whew! I was actually worried.

I need a IV Vodka Valium, stat. Push 2 cc's of Fukitol.