bedguide10e

Decoding Your Instructor’s Comments

Many instructors favor two kinds of comments:

Summary comments — sentences on your first or last page — that may compliment strengths, identify recurring issues, acknowledge changes between drafts, make broad suggestions, or end with a grade
Specific comments — brief notes or questions added in the margins — that typically pinpoint issues in the text

Although brief comments may seem like cryptic code or shorthand, they usually rely on key words to note common, recurring problems that probably are discussed in class and related to course criteria. They also may act as reminders, identifying issues that your instructor expects you to look up in your book and solve. A simple analysis — tallying up the repeated comments in one paper or several — can quickly help you set priorities for revision and editing. Some sample comments follow with translations, but turn to your instructor if you need a specific explanation.

COMMENTS ON PURPOSE	Thesis? Vague Broad Clarify What’s your point? So? So what?
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	You need to state your thesis more clearly and directly so that a reader knows what matters. Concentrate on rewording so that your main idea is plain.
COMMENTS ON ORGANIZATION	Hard to follow Logic? Sequence? Add transitions? Jumpy
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	You need to organize more logically so your paper is easy for a reader to follow without jumping from point to point. Add transitions or other cues to guide a reader.
COMMENTS ON SENTENCES AND WORDS	Unclear Clarify Awk Repetition Too informal
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	You need to make your sentence or your wording easier to read and clearer. Rework awkward passages, reduce repetition, and stick to academic language.
COMMENTS ON EVIDENCE	Specify Focus Narrow down Develop more Seems thin
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	You need to provide more concrete evidence or explain the relevance or nature of your evidence more clearly. Check that you support each main point with plenty of pertinent and compelling evidence.
COMMENTS ON SOURCES	Likely opponents? Source? Add quotation marks? Too many quotes Summarize? Synthesize? Launch source?
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	You need to add sources that represent views other than your own. You include wording or ideas that sound like a source, not like you, so your quotation marks or citation might be missing. Instead of tossing in quotations, use your critical thinking skills to sum up ideas, relate them to each other, and introduce them more effectively.
COMMENTS ON CITATIONS	Cite? Author? Page? MLA? APA?
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	Add missing source citations in your text and use the expected academic format to present them.
COMMENTS ON FINAL LIST OF SOURCES	MLA? APA? Comma? Period? Cap? Space?
POSSIBLE TRANSLATION	Your entries do not follow the expected format. Check the model entries in this book. Look for the presence, absence, or placement of the specific detail noted.