Monday, June 16, 2014

When should your chair review your paper?


This is a tougher question than it appears- chairs may have specific policies as to when they want to review drafts- I have heard a range of ideas from end of chapters, weekly, monthly, to a full proposal. Personally, I like to see a draft every couple of weeks at a minimum, for a couple of reasons. 1) I know the student is working. 2) The student is less likely to end up having to rewrite massive amounts if I am keeping them to the checklist and expectations. 

I have offered an accelerated option to my students, which you may want to run by your chair if you are interested. Students can lay out their quarterly goals by the week with a "deliverable" (writing assignment) due every week. The idea behind this is to keep them working toward a deadline and getting more accomplished. If you are a person who works best on a definite deadline, you might want to consider such an option. 

What do you do if your chair wants fewer reviews than you feel that you need? I suggest asking for a phone call and discuss your needs with him or her. Have a definite timetable for reviews in mind. Discuss why you feel a more frequent review would help you (e.g., make sure you are on track, you are a person who needs more established deadlines, etc.). What if he or she refuses this request? I see that you have a couple of options. You could work with the writing center or hire a private editor (make sure they know Walden's style and expectations). The important thing is that you do all you can to move yourself along the process. 

Next time we will discuss reviewing your own work.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu
 

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