So You've Written a Draft...

…and now you need feedback.

This is almost always a tricky area for dissertationers.

You want feedback so you can get the work to a place where it’s “done”. (And it’s so nice to hear you’re on track and sounding smart! ;-)

You don’t want the feedback because sometimes it makes you feel inept or plops a bunch of re-working back in your lap.

What to do??

I’ve found many of the challenges are actually less about the work you are submitting and more about whether your advisor/reader knows how to give you useful constructive feedback that will move you ahead.

I remember with my own advisor getting pages and pages of the tiniest editorial word-smithing (“and” or “or”?) PLUS questions about what section this even went in. So frustrating!

Many years later, I can see that I partly contributed to my frustration by not knowing how to ask for feedback effectively, not “owning” my drafts (instead kind of writing for her approval — like a scribe instead of a colleague), and feeling compelled to make every change she suggested (even if that meant changing it back to the way I had it before!!).

Today, I came across a good article on reviewing someone else’s writing. It seemed to me that this is a good article to look at fro the other side as well. All the advice about how to review applies just as much as how to ask for review (aka how to teach your advisor what you need without being so direct about it).

So here it is: Talkin’ ‘Bout Writing: How to Discuss a Colleague’s Writing While Preserving Your Working Relationship and Career.

What are the most common purposes you want from your advisor’s review? What ways have you used to get that specific feedback?