As a student who undergoes review or is the reviewer, I have always dreaded one thing: vague comments. “Good intro”, “there’s no intro”, “needs more details”. These comments don’t really help me in my writing and I more often find myself rolling my eyes, and muttering: “well duh, it’s only a first draft”. Straub hits on these points in his writing about talking about how to respond to other’s writings. When giving such vague comments, it is better to not give those comments than to give.
In addition, Straub points out to not be a grammar Nazi, something that I admit that I am guilty of. Straub points out to take into consideration of the stage of draft. If it’s a first draft, there is a lack of need to focus on grammar. Being able to put the loose thoughts into a concrete format is of more importance in a first draft. In a sense, Straub is persuading the reader to take into consideration of kairos. There’s a time and place for everything.
After reading this, one can generally become a better reviewer/reader. Generally, the reader is like a second eye for the writer. Because the reader is not as familiar with the topic compared to the writer, the reader can have better questions. Of course, that would generally depend on how strong of a reader the person is and the medium that the reading is being presented on. Generally speaking, readings presented in a digital screen is subject to more skimming. Straub doesn’t mention this point.
Yes, I also have the same feeling as you. I know there is problem with my paper that’s why I ask for help. However, just saying “this is bad”, “this is awkward” does not help at all. Why is it confusing or awkward? Readers can have a different perspective in looking at a piece of work that you never had thought before.
I 100% agree with you about the vague comments– those can be very frustrating and unclear. I, too, would much rather the reviewer not comment at all if he/she is not going to be clear about what it was exactly that he/she misunderstood! Also- I like how you incorporated and applied a little bit of “rhetorical analysis” when you mentioned kairos; it shows an understanding of our class discussions! Lastly, its interesting that you compared digital screen editing to traditional paper editing. I would also agree that digital screen editing is subject to more skimming, but I think that’s a matter of personal preference. Some people do quite well with that.
Last semester, I had a professor who did exactly as you said. Wrote vague comments such as “improve your introduction” and “It needs to be revised” only serve to add fuel to the fire. I admit that at times, when It becomes difficult for me to comment, I become a grammar Nazi. But this means, that grammar is not the most important aspect of a piece. Sure ,grammar is crucial for clarity, but most of the time, it does not change the overall message of the piece. Since we’re going to review papers, I’ll start and say that you used “generally” twice in the last paragraph which sounded awkward.