Limiting comments improves the likelihood that students will attempt to improve the paper and saves the instructor time. Other areas needing improvement can be dealt with in turn. Just as writing is a process, so is the act of improving writing. Treating writing as a process and knowing how students react to professors' comments can help instructors effectively communicate with students, making the time spent on evaluation more efficient. Studies show that students like a combination of margin and summary comments because it gives them a sense of dialogue, a sense that the reader is talking with them.
Students also respond well to genuine positive responses throughout the paper.
Too many professors fail to provide clear, helpful comments related to the grade. Most of the 17 professors who responded gave the paper a D, but the range was from F to B. More telling, however, were the written comments, which focused first on grammar and usage, then on organization and style, and lastly on content. Mitchell discovered that, all too often, professors respond to surface problems rather than ones with content and structure. Most of the professors offered advice on editing, as if all the student needed to do was correct mistakes. To avoid focusing on superficial errors while ignoring more serious content and writing difficulties, writing teachers often suggest that, when grading each paper, instructors comment first on content, second on structure, and third on style and grammar.