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Megan Golding wonders: <<What strategies do you employ in getting real
review and feedback on your documents?>>
Several. In fact, I've consolidated them into an article ("Inspiring
reviewers to review") that will be appearing in the next month or so on
www.raycomm.com. Briefly and not exclusively:
<<What can a writer do to foster high quality review after writing a
document and sending it out to reviewers?>>
Explain the task to each reviewer in person, negotiate a review deadline,
find out what format (online or print or ?) they prefer, provide written
instructions to remind them of what you discussed, send an impeccably edited
document so they can concentrate on technical issues, follow up before the
deadline to offer sympathy and help along with your reminder, and thank them
afterwards. Break the reviews into digestible chunks, and send the chunks to
the reviewers best suited to dealing with them, as well as some nonexperts
to ensure you get the innocent's viewpoint. Get management to provide
incentives and penalties, as required. Acquire enough respect that they want
to help you rather than feeling forced to do the work. Sounds like you're
already doing much of this.
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
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