the other thing open on my computer is a document i have tentatively titled "i can't believe it's not a research proposal". i'm unsure if i'm supposed to have a research design together before they even let me look at the materials for study. seems silly to me, and balancing the minimum four other vested interests in this project is getting interesting.

thought that re-checking my marking pile would be a nice distraction. the marking that i was very proud of getting through mostly in one weekend. it really needs a lot more work to ensure it's a) consistent and b) unlikely to result in legal action.

and it occurs to me that i was probably working a bit too hard to try to interpret these essays to the best advantage of the marking criteria. but am so, so sick of writing "please refer to the guide for appropriate referencing conventions" and "needs more critical engagement".

if you write a paper for me:
1. for the love of cheese, make a point.
2. this point should be in the introduction, also how the paper makes/argues this point.
3. include at least one thing you've read that you disagreed with.
4. at least try to be convincing, you will get away with so much more.
5. don't say "no information was available", i am reasonably bloody-minded about such matters and will forgo some naptime to see if I can find anything within 15 minutes (i admit that i have the advantage of knowing how to conduct research without google). i feel very sorry for the people who did this, without quite knowing how to break the bad news to them (writing "bullshit! filthy lying scum!" apparently is not the thing to do)
6. (this one is completely hypocritical, but) proofread! i get immensely pissed off if i need to waste my time and pencil re-punctuating and rephrasing things if you can't be arsed to do it properly.
7. please, please, please don't whinge about the lack of sources if you didn't bother coming to classes or asking anyone for help.
8. quotes can be used to support your argument, they shouldn't constitute the argument. the idea is that you write this paper, this involves slightly more of a personal intellectual contribution than putting quotation marks around the thing.
9. while we're on quotes, only cite a dictionary or encyclopaedia if necessary. you're expected to work a little harder than that. (having said that, if i find more and better info in a wikipedia intro than in your entire paper, this is not a good thing)
10. (old trick from high school teacher) it's a good thing to acknowledge significant aspects and spheres of knowledge not discussed, makes you look smart and aware of broader implications.
11. i have been a student most of my life, so I do understand that sometimes the word count is a bit low. as a marker, i honestly don't mind. i'm not going to count the words, i think a word count just gives an idea of how much detail there should be. i am, however, offended by the idea that i can be fooled by: using a large font size; using a larger font; adding stupid numbers of adjectives; quadrupuling margin sizes. you're embarrassing us both.

phew, feels better.

damn, now need to find another source of distraction.