diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index 4be57ad3..efbc110c 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Documents and Documentation
 
-The docs for this project are built with [Sphinx](http://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/).
+The docs for this project are built with `Sphinx <http://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/>`_, and hosted on `readthedocs <https://holodeck-gw.readthedocs.io/en/main/>`_.  The ``sphinx`` configuration is in the ``docs/source/conf.py`` file.
 
 
 ## Building Documentation
diff --git a/docs/source/index.rst b/docs/source/index.rst
index 8f475702..55497090 100644
--- a/docs/source/index.rst
+++ b/docs/source/index.rst
@@ -2,20 +2,6 @@
 holodeck
 ========
 
-|version| |build| |docs|
-
-.. |version|
-   image:: https://badge.fury.io/gh/nanograv%2Fholodeck.svg
-   target:: https://github.com/nanograv/holodeck
-
-.. |build|
-   image:: https://github.com/nanograv/holodeck/actions/workflows/unit-tests-ci.yaml/badge.svg
-   target:: https://github.com/nanograv/holodeck/actions/workflows/unit-tests-ci.yaml
-
-.. |docs|
-   image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/holodeck-gw/badge/?version=main
-   target:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/holodeck-gw/
-
 **Massive Black-Hole Binary Population Synthesis for Gravitational Wave Calculations ≋●≋●≋**
 
 `holodeck on github <https://github.com/nanograv/holodeck>`_
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index a43e1f4c..c506e8cd 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -6,40 +6,32 @@
 
 """
 
-from pathlib import Path
 from os.path import abspath, join
 from setuptools import setup, find_packages
 from setuptools.extension import Extension
 from Cython.Build import cythonize
 import numpy as np
 
-SETUP_PATH = Path(__file__).absolute().resolve().parent
-print(f"{SETUP_PATH=}")
-
 # ---- Prepare Meta-Data ----
 
 # NOTE: `short_description` gets first line of `__doc__` only (linebreaks not allowed by setuptools)
 short_description = __doc__.strip().split('\n')[0]
 
-fname_desc = SETUP_PATH.joinpath("README.md")
-with open(fname_desc, "r") as handle:
+with open(join('.', "README.md"), "r") as handle:
     long_description = handle.read()
 
-fname_reqs = SETUP_PATH.joinpath("requirements.txt")
-with open(fname_reqs, "r") as handle:
+with open(join('.', "requirements.txt"), "r") as handle:
     requirements = handle.read()
 
-fname_vers = SETUP_PATH.joinpath('./holodeck/version.txt')
-with open(fname_vers) as handle:
+with open(join('.', 'holodeck', 'version.txt')) as handle:
     version = handle.read().strip()
 
 
 # ---- Handle cython submodules ----
 
-fname_cyutils = SETUP_PATH.joinpath("holodeck", "cyutils.pyx")
 ext_cyutils = Extension(
     "holodeck.cyutils",    # specify the resulting name/location of compiled extension
-    sources=[str(fname_cyutils)],   # location of source code
+    sources=[join('.', 'holodeck', 'cyutils.pyx')],   # location of source code
     # define parameters external libraries
     include_dirs=[
         np.get_include()
@@ -55,10 +47,9 @@
     extra_compile_args=['-Wno-unreachable-code-fallthrough', '-Wno-unused-function'],
 )
 
-fname_sam_cyutils = SETUP_PATH.joinpath("holodeck", "sams", "sam_cyutils.pyx")
 ext_sam_cyutils = Extension(
     "holodeck.sams.sam_cyutils",    # specify the resulting name/location of compiled extension
-    sources=[str(fname_sam_cyutils)],   # location of source code
+    sources=[join('.', 'holodeck', 'sams', 'sam_cyutils.pyx')],   # location of source code
     # define parameters external libraries
     include_dirs=[
         np.get_include()