In addition to making an in-person or online appointment with me, you can now also submit a paper and receive my written feedback! Especially if you are working on a long-term project (something like a dissertation chapter or a conference/journal submission) this could be a good way to get some perspective on things you can do to improve your writing.  Here are a few notes about it:

  • I won’t proofread or edit your work.  I’ll point out persistent issues, offer general feedback about style, argument, structure, coherence, and formatting.  For grammar and readability issues, I will point out some places where they happen and give you examples of how you can address them throughout the rest of your paper.
  • I can answer general questions and help to clarify feedback that you’ve already received on your paper, but you should always ask your professors, directly, if you aren’t sure what they want you to do.
  • I won’t always read or comment on the entire paper.  Instead, I’ll focus on giving you feedback that applies throughout your writing.  I’ll usually give you a mix of specific comments in the margins and general comments about the paper as a whole. Who knows, if things get busy, I might start doing audio feedback–there are no rules; “what festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent” (Nietzsche 1882)?
  • I will try to return papers/comments within five business days. Depending on the number of papers that I have received, it could take longer than that.

 

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