Huntingdon College | Political Science | Courses | Paper Help | Required | What's New?
PSC ePAPERS Comments Codes:
a Guide to what the Reader looks for.
by Jeremy Lewis.  Revised 1 Dec. '06, at 10:15.
200 level papers & essays | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.
  • All PSC essays and papers now deliverable in email DOC (MS Word) attachments to <jLewis>, instead of hardcopy.
  • No title page is now needed; just an author(s), course(s) and "title" masthead.
  • Retain for safety, two copies on different disks.
  • Filename standard for attachments: (Class #, Lastname, Paper/Essay, year.Doc): 212SmithPaper06.doc.
  • Read the comment codes (below) ahead of time: this could help improve your paper in advance.

    •  
    200 level ePapers & eEssays' Comment Codes:
  • explained below: click the headings to see notes.

    • 200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes. 
    Authors'
    Names:
    201: 
    Std
    Pgs,
    5-8:
    		 Std
    File
    name,
    1" mgns:    		 (cites), 
    Bibliog,
    Tables, 
    Charts
    received:
    Content
    notes:
    Writing
    notes:
    Research
    notes:
    		 Overall
    notes:
    Sample A Y 10 Y,Y Y,Y,Y,Y 1,2,3,4,7 1 1,2 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
    Sample B Y 7 Y,Y Y,Y,N,N 6,8,11 3,4,7 4,9,12 8,12
    Sample C Y 3 N,N N,N,N,N 9,11,12,13,17 7,8,9,11 8,10,11 10,13,15
    300-level ePapers' Comment Codes:
    (some may be for multiple courses and authors)
  • explained below: click the headings to see notes.

    • 200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes. 
    Authors'
    PINs:
    201: 
    302:
    311:
    		 Std
    File
    name,
    1" mgns:
    Std
    Pgs,
    10-15:
    		 (cites),
    Bibliog,
    Tables,
    Charts
    received:
    Content
    notes:
    Writing
    notes:
    Research
    notes:
    		 Overall
    notes:
    Sample A Y Y Y Y,Y 15 Y,Y,Y,Y 1,2,3,4,7 1 1,2 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
    Sample B Y Y,Y 11 Y,Y,N,N 6,8,11 3,4,7 4,9,12 8,12
    Sample C Y Y N,N 9 Y,Y,N,N 9,11,12,13,17 7,8,9,11 8,10,11 10,13,15
    499 Capstone ePapers' Comment Codes:
  • explained below: click the headings to see notes.

    • 200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes. 
    Authors'
    PINs:
    Paper: 
    		 Std
    File
    name,
    1" mgns:
    20-25
    Std
    Pgs:
    (cites),
    Bibliog
    tables, 
    charts 
    received:
    		 PPT
    Rec'd:
    Content
    notes:
    Writing
    notes:
    Research
    notes:
    		 Overall
    notes:
    Sample A Topic Y,Y 25 Y,Y,Y,Y Y 1,2,3,4,7 1 1,2 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
    Sample B Topic Y,Y 21 Y,Y,N,Y Y 6,8,11 3,4,7 4,9,12 8,12
    Sample C Short N,N 15 Y,Y,N,N N 9,11,12,13,17 7,8,9,11 8,10,11 10,13,15

    200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.

  • Content comment codes (praise in green, suggestions for improvement in red):
    1. This paper is really fascinating: full of content.
    2. You really seem to have enjoyed researching this topic.
    3. Great topic!
    4. All sections have good content; the teamwork seems to have worked well.
    5. The content is very interesting in places, even though the research could be improved.
    6. The content is very interesting in places, even though it could be better written.
    7. Good literature survey, displaying a sense of contrasting theses.
    8. Topic could be broader: might be more interesting.
    9. Topic could have been narrower: more feasible in the space and time available.
    10. Paper does not really fit political science discipline -- understandable at 200 level, if not in 300 level paper.
    11. Needs analytic introduction: how will you tackle the question?  What causal factors will you consider?  What historical period is covered?  What countries or institutions are covered?
    12. Conclusion does not match introduction.
    13. Conclusion is not consistent with content of paper.
    14. Conclusion is trite (simplistic) and mars the paper.
    15. Paragraphs or paper sections are discrete. Paper is disjointed. You need transitional phrases between sections.
    16. Paragraphs give repetitive information.  Paragraphs give repetitive information.
    17. No literature survey.  Although not needed at 200 level, this would help at 300 level.
    18. Paper tells the story OK, but does not really analyze with the 3 "C"s: contrasts, comparisons and causes.
    200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.
  • Writing comment codes (praise in green, suggestions for improvement in red):
    1. Well written: eloquent, grammatical, logical and structured.  BRAVO!!
    2. Fluently written.
    3. Some sections are well written, though others less so.
    4. Well written, except for some spelling errors.
    5. Clearly written and understandable, if not eloquent.
    6. Needs conjunctions to combine discrete sentences.  These will help show the logic of your argument.
    7. Too many spelling errors.  These could have been corrected with spell-checker.
    8. Subject-verb or adjective-noun agreement are confusing for I.
    9. Mixing singulars and plurals are confusing for We.
    10. Tenses were or are or will be mixed for then. now and forever.
    11. In my personal opinion, and I could be wrong, be that as it may, at this time, you are wasting valuable space and time with wasted introductory phrases.  But that's just my opinion.
    12. Write a little more formally for an academic paper; this sho ain't yo p.diddy's paypa.
    13. Department of redundancy department.
    14. Some of your paragraphs are too long to follow.  Keep one paragraph per thought, and at least two per page.
    15. Writing is inconsistent among sections; perhaps team needed one editor to smooth out the work.
    16. For the references page, simply force a new page with Ctrl-Enter -- not a bunch of Enters.
    17. Please format with page numbers at bottom right.
    200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.
  • Research comment codes (praise in green, suggestions for improvement in red):
    1. Good, varied set of references: books, articles and web pages.  BRAVO!!
    2. Several great, classic books are used here.
    3. Good set of book references, though some scholarly articles are desirable.
    4. Good set of references for 200 level, though some more scholarly books and articles would improve it at 300 level.
    5. References OK for a set essay at 200 level; more would help if it were a research paper.
    6. Nice use of tables and charts both in text and in appendices.
    7. The web references are useful, and seem reliable sources.
    8. Missing references completely.
    9. Sources listed in references page are not all used in the paper.
    10. Parenthetical references (Smith, 1999, 2) are needed in almost every paragraph of content.
    11. The references list is missing references that are found in the text.
    12. The references list lacks good quality hardcopy books, preferably those from university presses.
    13. The references list lacks academic journal articles.
    14. Tables or charts appended to paper are not all used in the paper.
    15. No external references -- only course materials.
    16. References list is not organized in APSA style.
    17. References list lacks essential information such as years of publication.
    200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.
  • Overall comments:
    1. Really enjoyed reading this one!
    2. Perhaps the best work you have done so far?
    3. This will stand you in good stead in your applications for grad school and law school.
    4. This will be suitable for presenting to a conference.
    5. This is one of the finer undergrad papers I have ever read.
    6. This is one of the finer undergrad papers I have read at Huntingdon.
    7. Excellent paper.
    8. Good paper, if not the best work you can produce.
    9. Satisfactory paper, competent if not inspired.
    10. Tardy paper, will receive a deduction.
    11. Transmission was faulty: no paper attached.  Please try again.
    12. Could have come to me in advance for help on this one.
    13. Sorry, paper is too short.
    14. Paper is unnecessarily long.
    15. Sorry, in content, writing and research, this paper is unsatisfactory.
    16. Please follow the filename convention!
    200 level papers | 300 level papers | 499 papers | content notes | writing notes | research notes | overall notes.