Academic Writing- Giving Feedback

Giving feedback on academic writing

Read your partner’s writing, then compare and contrast with your own.

Without any help for now, give feedback on their writing, mentioning strong points and things which could be improved.

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Use the categories below to help extend your discussion:

Title

• Easy to understand
• Gets your interest
• Likely to stand out from other essays/ other papers
• Likely to attract the right kind of readers (both specialists and a broader audience)
• Easy to search for (using technology or just skimming and scanning a page of titles)

Introduction

• Easy to understand
• Gets your interest/ Makes you want to read further
• The right amount of information/ The right length (to get interest but not make it unnecessary to read on)
• Suitable academic style for the kind of academic writing it is
• Explains the structure of the whole essay/ whole paper
• Anything that could be added or could be removed?

Body

• Easy to understand (e.g. the right terms defined in a comprehensible way)
• Matches the title
• Does what the introduction promises
• Suitably and logically divided into paragraphs/ sections (with headings if needed)
• Topic of each paragraph/ section clear, and clearly different from other paragraphs/ sections
• Ideas and paragraphs follow each other logically (perhaps with use of linking phrases)
• The right amount of information
• Suitable use of sources/ referencing (e.g. mix of direct quotes and paraphrasing)
• Suitable academic style for the kind of academic writing it is
• Suitable use of bullet points/ numbered lists
• Alternative points of view/ theories also explored
• Convincing arguments with the right amount of support
• Anything that could be added/ could be removed?

Final paragraph/ Final section

• The right length
• Content of the essay/ paper summarised in different words in a way that is likely to add to people’s understanding of the topic
• Something new in the final section, e.g. consequences of that information (i.e. an actual conclusion)
• Suitable academic style for the kind of academic writing it is
• Anything that could be added/ could be removed?

 

Also give each other tips on the process of putting together academic writing. What could the stages be? What order would you put them in?