# How to request that I review your writing Hi! You are probably here because I emailed you this link when you requested that I review your writing. Below, I describe the process that works best for me to make sure that I review your writing in a timely manner. ## Who this page is for: - graduate students for whom I serve as your advisor - graduate students for whom I serve on your committee - undergraduate students working on a research-related abstracts and reports ## Why are we doing it this way? I want to be thoughtful about how I review your writing. Writing is one of the most important components of the research process, and it is important to me that I provide feedback on your writing as you need it. I am asking you to help me make sure your writing doesn't slip through the cracks of my email. This process will help me prioritize getting feedback to you quickly. There are three reasons why the approach described below works better for me than just emailing me your draft: 1. **Realistic expectations:** When you look at my calendar to find a time for me to review your writing, you'll see the amount of time I have available at any given time. If a week is particularly busy with class and other commitments, I may not be able to give you feedback right away. The earlier you get a review time on my calendar, the better! Adding time to my calendar also reminds both of us that reviewing writing takes time and we both deserve to allocate the time needed to do this important work. 2. **Transparency:** When time is allocated to a task on my calendar, I am more likely to get it done during that time. This way, you will know when I am working on your draft and when to expect feedback from me. 3. **Accountability:** When you add a time to my calendar, you are signaling to me that you intend to have a draft completed and ready for review by that time. I will be waiting for your draft, so it helps hold both us accountable - you to write the thing, and me to review it in a timely manner. ## When to request that I review your writing: I am happy to review your writing at any stage (outline, first draft, revised drafts, etc). The sooner you begin getting feedback on your writing, the better. Written drafts are where scientific ideas are generated and clarified. I encourage you to request feedback on your writing early and often. **For graduate students writing a thesis or project report:** - If you plan to send me your report all at once, I expect to receive your completed thesis or project report 1 month in advance of your defense date, at the latest. - If you plan to send me sections (recommended), I expect to receive the last section that you are asking me to review (e.g. discussion or conclusions) 2 weeks in advance of your defense date, at the latest. **For abstract submissions:** - If you are submitting an abstract to a conference or symposium, I expect to review your abstract 2 days before the submission deadline so that you have time to revise it before submission. ## How to make a request: 1. Pick a date that you would like to have my feedback on your draft by. 2. Use "scheduling assistant" to review my calendar in outlook. Here's [a tutorial for how to do so](https://zapier.com/blog/outlook-scheduling-assistant/). 3. Select a time that I am available based on the recommended time blocks below. Send me a calendar invite with a subject like "review (your name)'s methods section". 4. I will review the calendar invite. If that time works for me, I will accept the invite and you'll get an email notification. If the time does not work for me, I will ask you to reschedule for another time. 5. Email me the piece of writing anytime before the start of that calendar invite. It can be a week before or two minutes before. It doesn't matter to me as long as I have it before the time block begins. ## When to expect feedback: I will email you my comments as soon as I complete the review. Ideally this will be at the end of the time block. If reviewing the work will take me longer than we allocated on my calendar, I'll send you a note and let you know when I plan to work on it again so you know when to expect my feedback. If you don't hear from me that day, please send me an email reminder and ask about my progress. This will not annoy me. I am asking you to email me a reminder to help keep me accountable to the commitment I made to you to review your work. ## How much time to allocate: Please use the guidelines below to determine how much time to block off on my calendar. - Abstract - 30 mins - Introduction or literature review - 1.5 hrs - Methods - 1 hr - Results - 1 hr - Discussion - 1.5 hrs - Conclusion - 1 hr If you send multiple sections at once, please add up the time required based on each section you want me to review. **Thanks for helping me help you!**