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#lang pollen
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◊(define-meta title "hierarchical headings")
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◊hanging-topic[(topic-from-metas metas)]{Consider tiered numbers}
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Traditionally, ◊em{hierarchical headings} in legal documents start with roman numerals at the top level (I, II, III); then switch to capital letters (A, B, C); then numerals (1, 2, 3); then lowercase letters (a, b, c); then romanettes (i, ii, iii); and then variations of the above using two parentheses instead of one, or other barely visible changes.
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This is a terrible way to label hierarchical headings.
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◊numbered-list{
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Roman numerals and romanettes stink. They’re difficult to read. (Quick, what number is XLIX?) They’re easy to confuse at a glance. (II vs. III, IV vs. VI, XXI vs. XII.) If what we mean by I, II, III is 1, 2, 3, then let’s just say so.
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Letters aren't much better. Though we immediately recognize A, B, C as equivalent to 1, 2, 3, the letter-to-number correlation gets weaker as we go past F, G, H. (Quick, what number is T?) If what we mean by J, K, L is 10, 11, 12, then let’s just say so.
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Mixing roman numerals and letters results in ambiguous references. When you see a lowercase ◊em{i}, does it denote the first item or the ninth item? Does a lowercase ◊em{v} denote the fifth item or the 22nd item?
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By using only one index on each header, it’s easy to lose track of where you are in the hierarchy. If I’m at subheading ◊em{(d)}, is that ◊em{(d)} under superheading ◊em{(2)} or ◊em{(3)}?
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}
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Lawyers should take a cue from technical writers, who solved this problem long ago — by using tiered numbers as indexes for hierarchical headings.
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So instead of:
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◊indented{◊image[#:border #f #:width "80%" "hierarchical-headings-example.svg"]}
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You’d have:
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◊indented{◊image[#:border #f #:width "80%" "hierarchical-headings-example-2.svg"]}
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To my eyes, this system is more understandable — because it only uses numbers, it avoids ambiguity or miscues. It’s also more navigable — because every tiered number is unique, it’s always clear where you are in the hierarchy. And every word processor can automatically produce tiered numbering. Consider it.
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