A-manual-for-writers-of-research-papers-theses-and-dissertations

comments on your returned paper.12 Learning from Your Returned Paper12.1 Find General Principles in Specific Comments12.2 Talk to Your InstructorTeachers are baffled and annoyed when a student looks only at the grade on his paper andignores substantive comments, or, worse, doesn't bother to pick up the paper at all. Sinceyou'll write many reports in your academic and professional life, it's smart to understand howyour readers judge them and what you can do next time to earn a better response. For that,you need one more plan.12.1 Find General Principles in Specific CommentsWhen you read your teacher's comments, focus on those that you can apply to your nextproject:Look for a pattern of errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. If you see one, youknow what to work on.If your teacher says you made factual errors, check your notes: Did you take bad notes ormisreport them? Were you misled by an unreliable source? Whatever you find, you knowwhat to do in your next project.If your teacher reports only his judgments of your writing, look for what causes them. Ifhe says your writing is choppy, dense, or awkward, check your sentences using the steps inchapter 11. If he says it's disorganized or wandering, check it against chapter 9. You won'talways find what caused the complaints, but when you do you'll know what to work onnext time.12.2 Talk to Your InstructorIf your teacher's comments include words like disorganized, illogical, or unsupported and youcannot find what triggered them, make an appointment to ask. As with every other step inyour project, that visit will go better if you plan and even rehearse it:If your teacher marked up spelling, punctuation, and grammar, correct those errors inbold letters before you talk to your teacher to show him that you took his commentsseriously. In fact, you might jot responses after his comments to show that you've readthem closely.Don't complain about your grade. Be clear that you want only to understand the