Throughout the academic (and non-academic) journey, we are continuously faced with occasions where our work is reviewed and evaluated by others, or where we are responsible for providing critical feedback to peers. In this session, Dr. Gustafson will discuss the revision stage, the crucial stage in every journey toward improvement. Whether in our writing or project development, we may have mixed feelings about reviewers’ comments or have difficulty making sense of and addressing feedback. As authors, understanding expectations and knowing where to focus our energies are essential when making revisions. As peer reviewers, understanding how to offer clear, constructive and insightful feedback is also an essential skill. This workshop will provide authors with important behind-the-scenes insights into the review and evaluation process and offer reviewers a framework of best practices for evaluating written submissions and delivering feedback to support those revising their manuscripts.
Whether you are an author revising your work, or a reviewer evaluating someone else’s writing, this workshop is for you.
Outline
Expectations
What are the explicit and implicit expectations?
Where can you look for guidance?
Why is meeting expectations important?
Are you meeting the expectations?
What are essential strategies for “pre-evaluating” your work prior to review?
Are you making good use of available resources and tools?
Components of a Constructive Review
The content
Fit (What was the aim of the submission? Does it meet guidelines?)
Presentation (How well does it present the content?)
Rigour (What are the strengths? What areas need improving?)
The delivery
Tone (fairness, objectivity)
Clarity
Making Revisions
What are the priorities?
How do you respond to reviewers?
What is “enough”?
Handling the Other Stuff
How do you address the disconnect between your intended message and how it was received/perceived?
How do you cope with difficult assessments?