Post by Actually, if we combine things on Jan 28, 2014 22:04:34 GMT -5
I see a solution to a problem if we combine some answers. If you are sitting in boring meetings 18 hours a week because your colleagues just love to gab, then why not work on a review during that time? It would probably make both tasks more enjoyable.
But seriously, half a day for a review? Maybe on some papers, but not on most. Or half a day, but not in a big block where it will kill your productivity. First you want to read/skim most of the thing and take some notes. But do that in your B-time, e.g. on the bus home from work or in one of the dumber of your meetings, where it won't eat up your own writing time. Maybe after meeting with a student, which is when I find I need a brain reset before I can do real work again. I'm reasonably confident that the major issues you notice when running on 1/2 brainpower will still be major issues if you came at the paper fresh. Plus there is that research about how students learn more from fewer comments on papers, so less is more. I really don't think that you have to do the job of an unpaid copyeditor. Pick the big issues, put together a few paragraphs about that, maybe add about 5-10 bullet points on the bitty stuff. That's probably more than enough. Then if you want to really be professional, what you do is to set that down, and come back to it later so that you can read your own words with fresh eyes. That way you can make sure your writing is positive and professional, developmental rather than harsh.
If you really want to save time, keep your answers for prior reviews handy so that you can cut and paste on standard items, like you might do for paper comments in your classes. I don't usually do this, but the more reviews I do, the more I notice that there is a set of typical problems that the authors would have to fix anyway, and it's OK to point those things out (again) if they are actually key issues in the manuscript. No reason to reinvent the wheel.
Now I assume you mean journal reviewing. If you review for friends, maybe spend a bit more time, but you can still save time. Maybe write up a few paragraphs on the big issues you noticed, and if your handwriting is legible, just give them your mark-up copy if they want it. If they want serious notes on every single page, they are more than welcome to hire a copyeditor.
But seriously, half a day for a review? Maybe on some papers, but not on most. Or half a day, but not in a big block where it will kill your productivity. First you want to read/skim most of the thing and take some notes. But do that in your B-time, e.g. on the bus home from work or in one of the dumber of your meetings, where it won't eat up your own writing time. Maybe after meeting with a student, which is when I find I need a brain reset before I can do real work again. I'm reasonably confident that the major issues you notice when running on 1/2 brainpower will still be major issues if you came at the paper fresh. Plus there is that research about how students learn more from fewer comments on papers, so less is more. I really don't think that you have to do the job of an unpaid copyeditor. Pick the big issues, put together a few paragraphs about that, maybe add about 5-10 bullet points on the bitty stuff. That's probably more than enough. Then if you want to really be professional, what you do is to set that down, and come back to it later so that you can read your own words with fresh eyes. That way you can make sure your writing is positive and professional, developmental rather than harsh.
If you really want to save time, keep your answers for prior reviews handy so that you can cut and paste on standard items, like you might do for paper comments in your classes. I don't usually do this, but the more reviews I do, the more I notice that there is a set of typical problems that the authors would have to fix anyway, and it's OK to point those things out (again) if they are actually key issues in the manuscript. No reason to reinvent the wheel.
Now I assume you mean journal reviewing. If you review for friends, maybe spend a bit more time, but you can still save time. Maybe write up a few paragraphs on the big issues you noticed, and if your handwriting is legible, just give them your mark-up copy if they want it. If they want serious notes on every single page, they are more than welcome to hire a copyeditor.