My college years were a blur of events with little time for the pleasures of life. As a single parent who worked full time and went to school full time I had to be efficient.

For example, I did not have time to study so I paid extra attention in class and learned to read and comprehend at a high level. That method paid off during exams because answers from what I read would pop into my head then be forgotten forever.

A few classes required research papers and those needed a different formula. Research papers require students to select a specific topic from a long list, do the proper research by reading various books on the subject, then formulate a paper based on what was read (including the sources).

See the problem?

I just did not have the time to do research papers the old fashioned way so I came up with a modern methodology that always garnered an A.

First, find an interesting topic among those on the list. Second, head to the library and select about a dozen books on the topic. Third, sit down and write.

What did I miss?

Oh, yeah. The reading part. You know. Research.

Here is my formula.

First, stack the research books. Second, start writing about the topic. By paragraph three open the first research book on top of the stack, thumb through it quickly, find a quote to weave into the paper as it is being written. Add it to the footnotes.

Repeat.

When all 12 books (optional number) have been stacked, flip them over and repeat the process one more time for good measure.

In the end, you get a neat and well organized research paper complete with quotes from related publications, a list of appropriate footnotes, and without having to invest time in reading books related to a topic that nobody cares about anyway.

No applause, please.