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[Revision Hell]

I am at an average state college, teaching M.A.-level classes in the social sciences.  As the term-paper deadline approaches, I am finding more and more e-mail requests from my students, asking me to review their drafts "just to make sure" that they are on the right track.  These papers are usually VERY, very early drafts with incomplete thoughts and incomplete sentences everywhere.

I have *no* provisions concerning early-draft review in my syllabus, and I have the folllowing questions:

1. How much feedback should I give these people?  Do I need to analyze word-by-word and make comments, or should I just give general pointers?

2. Can I decline draft-review requests, especially if a students e-mails me her draft multiple times--or is this part of the instructor's job description?  I have made some comments on a couple of students' drafts via e-mail, and they e-mailed me back another draft within minutes, with only the "surface" issues addressed--when their papers contained major conceptual problems...

Thanks in advance for your input.

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[Prytania]

I do that sort of thing all the time for students, but then I teach composition.

[moose]

I actually institute draft deadlines so I can see people's work and tell them to make changes before it's too late. It's more work for me - but I'm all too happy to give everybody an A if they produce an A-quality product by the end of the semester.

(my problem is actually with people who ignore the drafts and are so sure of themselves when they turn in their incoherent, poorly-reasoned papers... I guess everybody must learn their lessons - in one way or another)

[unusual]

In my field (in soc sci), it's highly unusual for students to ask profs to review papers prior to the deadline. I have a clause in my syllabus because I, too, used to receive these requests, and students usually give thoughtless papers when I allow them to submit multiple drafts. I give them all the support they need to develop their papers but I won't read their drafts.

But, then, in my field, presentation/composition/style matter less than the theoretical/conceptual analyses, so students who "get it" generally will get it without having to ask for my input, and those who don't "get it" often won't get it even with my extensive comments anyhow.

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[mouse]

It depends on how much time you can put into the course, and on how much you want to teach.  It's up to you.  I am a biologist, and I teach composition ALL THE TIME.  What I tell the students is that everyone can get an "A," and that I will go over as many drafts as they like.  This sometimes turns out to be 5 or 6 drafts!  But by the end of the semester they are writing much better than they were at the beginning -- and thinking more clearly, too, which is what I really drive at.

[rattus domesticus]

DRAW BOUNDARIES or you will be irritated, dried up and pissed off by the end of your first semester. Here's what I do--I say "Sure, I'd love to. Bring your draft by during office hours." This does several things...

> I'm not trapped doing online teaching when I'm not paid for it.
> I'm not simply correcting or editing a student's paper when I know that they are not LEARNING from this process. It is so much more helpful to them when I can sit with them and point to a topic sentence and say, "So, do you think this is general enough for the support you have below?"
> It immediately cuts down the number of these requests.
> The ones that do come tend to have more developed papers.
> I can limit the amount of time because of other students coming in.
> I am using "face time" on campus and looking helpful and busy.

I also put on my syllabus that I do NOT accept papers by e-mail--and I stick to this.

One exception... I do ask students to e-mail me JUST their thesis statements and/or topic sentences if they are having problems. If a student sends me their whole paper, I simply cut and paste just these portions and give comments on them.

I know it's tempting to be "all things" to all students--but this is a dangerous thing as once you start getting into constant e-mail tutoring, IT WILL NEVER END. The students will learn that you are a soft touch and will basically rewrite their papers for them--and once the word spreads, you are sunk.

Save yourself. Draw boundaries. It will make you a better instructor. I promise.

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[Anon]

Hi RH,

I sympathize with your problem.  It's great that you want to help these students; at the same time, you're not their copy editor.  I think that, in the future, it would be reasonable to say that you will only read drafts in which the actual writing is sound enough that you can focus on the content.  After all, you're not a composition instructor, and in a grauduate-level course, you shouldn't have to be talk to people about sentence fragments.  

I'm a little unsure as to whether some of your students are having major writing problems, in which case you can send them to the university writing center, or if they're just sending you sloppy writing.  If it's the latter, perhaps you can say that you're happy to read detailed outlines of papers and well-written proposals  as well as drafts, which might cut down on the  actual amount of writing you see.  You might also want to give yourself a break between reading drafts and reading final copies; if the papers are due Dec. 1, then say you won't read drafts after Nov. 15, which gives all the students who did have you read their drafts two full weeks to revise on their own.  

I've also found that, when reading drafts, many times it's more useful to have students schedule an appointment with me to discuss them (after I've read the draft) rather than e-mailing them back comments.  First of all, this usually cuts back on the students who send me drafts.   Also, I feel that I can better gauge whether a student is/is not understanding my feedback when he/she is in front of me.  And this can put your written feedback at a minimum.  

Finally, as to students who send you multiple drafts--I think you can say you'll only look over drafts that have been signficantly revised in content and structure, not surface changes.  

My apologies for the long post!  I wish you the best during the end of the semester.

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[Ms. Collegiality]

I think I have a workable solution for you.  Require an outline due a week before the paper is due.  The outline should have a specified number of lines, including a thesis for the paper.  You can teach how to outline and what a thesis is, right?

It takes thirty seconds to look over an outline.  You can tell them they're on the right track without getting bogged down in circling grammar problems or pointing out writing weaknesses.  

A good outline handout (I've said this before) is going to save you time on papers in the end, and will make the job easier for them.

[Cicero]

Wait.  Didn't you say Master's level students?  This sort of draft-reading hand-holding is appropriate for freshman comp.  For students at the graduate level it is not.   They should certainly discuss the paper with you once or twice during the process, but you should not be reading drafts.

[Sabina]

Two words that would work for most students:  Writing Center.

Ms. Collegiality's suggestions are good--the outline will tell you what you need.

If these are MA students looking for feedback and concerned about content (for which the Writing Center would not be as helpful) suggest that they have a peer read it.  I started my MA after an extended period abroad, I had to have friends read my first papers to make sure my English sounded normal.

[js]

Grad students who wonder whether they are "on the right track" (which is how the original post sets the question) need to submit a prospectus or an abstract, not a paper. If that is indeed their worry, then you can both address their concerns and teach them to do something that might be of professional use to them.

The tangent that this has gone off on (how do you deal with ANY students who ask you to vet a paper) reveals what I think is a common anxiety: do we end up doing too much of the students' work when we "look over" their papers? And are we guaranteeing super grades to students who, besides knowing to take advantage of our desire and professional obligation to teach them how to write for the discipline, may fall considerably short of super.

My solution is never to put proofreading marks on a paper, but rather to list major errors and some solutions at the end of the draft. ("Check into ways to get rid of comma splices. State a thesis. Use transitions.")

[Adjunk]

I agaree with Cicero.  Draft-review is appropriate in a composition class, but nowhere else.   We're supposed to be preparing these students for the real world, and , whether in grad school or in their future jobs, they will not have the opportunity to submit rough drafts for review.  In my classes, students get one and only one opportunity to do their best work.  To head off plagiarism, however, it can be useful to require students to hand in a draft along with the final product.

[anon]

In my humanities area (not composition), I used to require  draft reviews, and read entire drafts, with the one requirement that the student be in the room while I read out loud and offered comments verbally as I read.  It required an unbelievable amount of time, and was utterly exhausting, especially when I had over 100 students in a single term.  

Now I require students (master's level and undergraduate) to have specific questions prepared when they come to an appointment.  If they want me to read one or two paragraphs, I do, but I state up front that I cannot read an entire paper in 45 minutes (or 30 minutes).  

If they miss an appointment I try to re-schedule them, but if I can't, I can't.

I think they are actually learning about the writing process through these talk-throughs of specific questions.  Often the specific questions they have are about the thesis statement, how to correctly include footnotes and citations, and about conclusions and introductions.  I use the question method -- I ask them many questions about the purpose of the paper sometimes, other times I have them look up a question of citation style in the style manual (I have a copy in my office).  Sometimes I help them outline a logical thought path through the material they are dealing with.  

This has evolved into a process that seems to be working well. They seem to get a lot from it, and it is does not seem to overextend my energy levels.

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[green with envy]

Your students' papers have topic sentences? And support for the topic sentences?

[%sig%]

[A thought]

Do you have some class time you could devote to peer editing?  A week or so before the final copy is due, the students could switch with two or three peers during the class for feedback.  

Otherwise, I agree with anon, require them to have two or three specific questions and parts that they want you to look at.  This is not the time to be reviewing the whole paper.