(especially first drafts)
When you first look at a student’s paper, resist the urge to begin reading it straight through, pointing out every little error you see. It is less time consuming, as well as more effective, to skim it first for major problems.
- Scan for clues to the paper’s focus. One clue is paragraph length. If the paper has a number of very short paragraphs, it has probably tried to cover too much territory, and has not developed any ideas in detail. In fact, the paper may actually be nothing more than a collection of introductory paragraphs on several possible topics.
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Read the first and the last paragraphs of the paper to determine whether they have a common theme or emphasis. If they have little in common, you suspect that the author has switched topics in the middle. You can often find the place where the paper shifts topic simply by reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
If the paper has problems 1 or 2, discuss thesis, focus and development. Consider helping the writer make and outline, or read and discuss the handout on coherence. - Examine the introductory paragraph. Does it have a thesis sentence that accurately announces the main thrust of the paper? Does the writer give a preview of the progression of ideas to be developed in proving the thesis statement?
- Check the organizational structure of the paper. Is the outline of the paper discernable? Can the reader skimming the paper reproduce the plan that the writer followed? (When read long papers, you may find it useful to actually jot down the sequence of ideas being represented.)
- Do the sub-points develop the topic with sufficient completeness? Obviously, it is easier to detect faults in what is included, and harder to detach oneself to consider omissions. Nonetheless, once you have determined that the paper does have a clear plan, it is worthwhile to ask whether it includes everything it ought. Discuss how the writer might expand on a point or include a reference.
- Is the development free from repetition and irrelevance? Has the student treated the same point in two different places? Are there sentences or entire paragraphs that drift away from the thesis of the paper? (A related problem is proportion: has the student given a minor point more space or emphasis than seems appropriate?)
- Are the ideas arranged in a logical or appropriate sequence? Like completeness, this area is difficult to pay attention to. It is worth taking a minute to ask, "Is this the most effective organizational plan the writer could have chosen?"
- Check for proper integration of source material and quotations. A student research paper sometimes is too dependent on quoted material, or fails to integrate quoted material smoothly with the student’s own points, or paraphrases large sections of the paper from a few sources.
Only after checking for the problems noted above should you focus your attention on grammar, usage, punctuation and spelling. Unless the mechanical errors are overwhelming in number, they will not interfere with readability nearly as much as these larger problems do.
