All authors are to follow a common format, use data consistently, and read and comment on each other's drafts before they are submitted. Some advisors ask students to initial their own sections and, likewise, to signify that they have read their partners' sections. The writing resource center can be used by individual writers to bring the quality of their work to such a level that review by partners will not create an undue burden. The project group should establish its own interim draft deadlines consistent with the ultimate final-draft deadlines established by the advisor. Setting their own deadlines should result in an increased commitment within the project group.
Many advisors require each draft to be accompanied by the previous draft or drafts.
This procedure tends to benefit both students and faculty because it allows both to monitor progress toward goals more easily. Also, it prevents miscommunication about expectations. Some advisors will suggest that students who are having great difficulty writing read their sections aloud, first to themselves and then to their partners when the drafted section is being made ready for the advisor to read. Many conceptual and grammatical mistakes can be caught early through the use of this tool. Some advisors refer to specific sections in a standard-grammar and style book when they correct drafts.