Master Your Paper Evaluation Skills with Our Academic Assessment Quiz

Evaluating a Paper: Questions to Ask and Common Errors to Look For

• Evaluating a paper involves critical questioning and consideration of the paper's relevance to the intended audience.
• The contribution of the paper is the most significant component and requires a value judgement.
• Authors should identify the strengths, weaknesses, and implications of their work, and not ignore problems or shortcomings.
• The quality of a paper can be reflected in its bibliography, including the number and relevance of references.
• Papers without references to major journals or conferences in the area should be viewed with suspicion.
• Occasionally, authors submit incomplete papers, which do not deserve a thorough evaluation.
• Referees should search for errors that affect the quality of the work and correct them before going into print.
• Errors in spelling, syntax, written expression, and formatting should be corrected.
• Referees are likely to find errors in mathematics, which can become serious defects that might make the paper unacceptable.
• Poorly written papers should be accepted, but real incompetence in the presentation is grounds for rejection.
• Excellence in presentation does not justify acceptance if the paper does not contribute anything new.
• Well-written papers that do not contribute anything new must be rejected.