Ah Ha!

My "Ah Ha" moment involving my research paper was when I finished my draft. I proofread and re-read my draft. Then what I realized at that moment, was just how much MORE work I really had to do! I was not happy with it as a whole. I needed more information and so I was frustrated. What I found to be really helpful was the peer review process. As I reviewed my classmate's draft, it made me think that I could apply my own criticism of their draft to my own draft. Then, receiving the comments from classmates was even more helpful. It gave me a boost to re-work my paper with some new ideas. I wish I could have even more peer reviews. I have had some experience with peer review but it has been primarily on performance such as my teaching style, speech giving or other kinds of activities. That kind of feedback from my peers was always useful. I had the opportunity to use their ideas and criticism to improve my speeches, lectures, etc. I've not had many peer reviews on my writing except for when I have written grant proposals for funding. I often had someone (anyone!) read my proposal to get feedback. It's so easy to get lost in my own ideas. So, here's to us helping each other as we learn together.