Methodology Monday with Least Observed Principle of Citation

Rereading the first two chapters of Evidence Explained, I was struck by how many of us are so intimidated by the general principles and intermediate techniques that we don't notice or remember the following prominently placed injunction -- even though author Elizabeth Shown Mills has called attention to it often in online forums:

"Once we have learned the principles of citation, we have both an artistic license and a researcher's responsibility to adapt those principles to fit materials that do not match any standard model." (p. 41)

In other words, the 885-page book is less like a straitjacket and more like a collection of clothing patterns: adjust to fit, once you understand why the pattern is the way it is.