It also says that the paper must be of interest to an appropriate number of readers, not just to the authors, students, and a few colleagues, which suggests the view that the intended audience of scholarship should be broad. Scholars, quite simply, must communicate well. Our final standard is that scholarly work should be accompanied by reflective critique. In discovery , integration, application, or teaching, the scholar thinks about his or her work, seeks the opinions of others, and develops his or her learning over time. Reflective critique is not as common in our sources as the other standards, although it is recognized in university guidelines for judging research and teaching.
Insightful reflection begins with self-conscious practice, which continues after a project is done.
This is especially important in teaching. Regarding professional service, it is surely significant that virtually all funders of applied projects ask that proposals contain an appropriate plan for evaluation. Careful evaluation enriches scholarly projects by enabling the old ones to better inform the new. Indeed, the quality of reflective critique, though least often recognized in the evaluation of scholarship, may be the most important of all. The six yardsticks of excellence I've described apply to all forms of scholarship.