simplified review tiers

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WritersDomain.net Review tiers

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Simplified review tiers for WritersDomain.net editors.

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Page 1: Simplified Review Tiers

WritersDomain.netReview tiers

Page 2: Simplified Review Tiers

Does the article pass the tier 1 checklist?

Yes

Does the article pass the tier 2 checklist?

Does the article pass the tier 3 checklist?

Does the article pass the tier 4 checklist?

Approve at 5 stars

Send back at one star

Send back at two stars

Approve at 3 stars

Approve at 4 stars

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Page 3: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 To complete Tier 1, the editors will check to see if the

controlling idea, title, and supporting headlines are worthy of

being read. They will ask if the title makes sense, and whether

or not it carries a basic interest value.

The editors will also pay close attention to the substance

(ideas, supporting evidence, logic) found in the article. Issues

concerning substance revolve around the use of inane material

to fill word count and/or grammatical errors which interrupt

the general readability of the article.

If any of the following issues are found, the editors will send

the article back for revision.

Page 4: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 checklist & stock comments 1.1 Controlling Idea

Does the controlling idea communicate the purpose and value of the

article?

The purpose/value of this article is unclear. Focus on a specific need of

your target demographic and ask yourself why someone would choose to

read your article over another. Check out the WritersDomain blog for

more information.

1.2 Filler/Fluff

Does the article leave the reader feeling capable, informed, or excited

through strong, detailed information, rather than filler content or

overhyped expressions of encouragement?

Articles should rely on the strength of their details and research to

impact the reader—not on redundancies, irrelevant statements,

generalities or filler information. Sentences like … can weaken a piece

and frustrate readers.

Page 5: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 checklist & stock comments 1.3 Hyperlinks

Are the hyperlinks relevant to the article? Do they support the claims they

are linked to?

Citations should be reader friendly and support the details that they're

linked to. The link _____ seems to offer information that isn't easy to

access, lacks relevancy, or contradicts the ideas in this piece, specifically,

… Please revise to include relevant, supportive links for the given

information.

1.4 Readability

Are there any other hard-to-fix issues (title, organization, formatting) that

would immediately affect the piece’s readability or the audience’s

interest?

Issues with _____ can affect readability. In this piece, for example, ...

Page 6: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 2 checklist & stock commentsThis tier ensures that the article is easy-to-read, and easy-to-

understand.

2.1 Sentence structure

Are sentences basically comprehensible?

Sentences like … are difficult to follow. Make sure that each sentence

clearly and completely expresses the idea you are trying to convey.

Reading the piece aloud might be helpful for catching similar issues.

2.2 Diction

Does the controlling idea have an above-average interest factor?

Readers have an easier time understanding writing that is clear and

conversational. Sentences become unclear when atypical syntax or

diction is used. For example, a sentence like … can interrupt the

overall flow and make it more difficult for your readers to follow.

Please revise with this in mind.

Page 7: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 3 This level isn’t required, but is icing on the cake for writers

who have gone the extra mile in their writing from the

beginning of their article.

The main feature this tier addresses is engagement—upon

reading, the reader is compelled to keep reading, is fully

involved with the content, enjoys themselves while reading,

and feels satisfied by the experience afterwards.

While these qualities can be hard to qualify, the checks on the

next slide represent some features from of this level of

writing.

Page 8: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 3 checklist & stock comments 3.1 Engagement

Does the controlling idea have an above average interest factor?

When considering the compelling nature of an idea, ask yourself

questions like, "Is it trending?" "Is it interesting?" or "Does it help

solve a relevant and specific problem?" Controlling ideas that

fulfill one or more of these criteria tend to be inherently more

engaging. Visit the WritersDomain Ideation Training for more

information.

3.2 Examples

Does the article use concrete, specific, and interesting examples

and points to support the controlling idea and subheadings?

To raise the engagement factor of future pieces, work to

incorporate more specific information and details. For example,

instead of saying "," explain to the readers that _____. The more

specific a piece is, the more actionable and engaging it will be.

Page 9: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 3 checklist & stock comments 3.2 Overarching Organization

Do ideas and thoughts flow well together within and between

paragraphs?

Disjointed sentences, paragraphs, or ideas, such as ____, can

hinder a reader's experience. For higher ratings in the future,

make sure that each piece has a smooth and logical flow.

3.3 Audience

Does the piece clearly address its target audience?

Articles that thoroughly and succinctly address the needs of their

target audience generally elicit a higher degree of reader

engagement. In future pieces, try to really hone in on a specific

audience and preemptively address any questions or concerns they

might have.

Page 10: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 4 checklist & stock commentsThis tier is reserved for articles that meet a very high standard of

excellence and receive an audible, all-around “wow!”

4.1 Excellence

4.1.1 Does the piece take a new or unique angle?

Articles that take a new angle or offer unique information are inherently

more useful and interesting. You may want to try some of the resources

suggested in the third ideation training on the WritersDomain blog to help

guide you in more unique directions.

4.2 Grammar

Is the article grammatically perfect?

For an article to receive a 5-star rating, it must be grammatically

perfect. While small, the following grammatical errors were found:

_______. Be sure to thoroughly proofread before submitting your work.

4.3 Authority/expertise

Does the writer qualify their expertise?

To earn a 5-star rating, we're looking for a writer to qualify their

expertise in a specific subject. In the future, try. . .

Page 11: Simplified Review Tiers

Examples and

explanations

Page 12: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples:

Controlling ideas/titles

Title: Why You Shouldn’t Flush Too Much Toilet Paper Down the

Toilet

This answer to this query is, for the most part, pretty common

knowledge. If the writer uses the article to address more than

just toilet paper, then the title should accommodate it (i.e.

“What You Can and Can’t Flush Down the Toilet” or “Toilet

Clogs: Where they Happen, How to Fix Them”). Based on the

current title, the writer has restricted himself and will have a

hard time meeting the word count because he has narrowed

his scope too much.

Page 13: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples:

Controlling ideas/titles

Title: What the Benefits of Curtains Are

Subheadings:

You can save on your heating bill

You can decorate your room with them

You can have some privacy

Besides being oddly phrased (which dings the authority), the

use value in this article is almost non-existent—what questions

will this article answer with any depth, what real value does it

have? The facts and logic are so elementary that they are

unhelpful—and the reader gets the feeling that this writer just

sat down and thought of all the reasons that drapes could be

beneficial. This writer has not really thought about the readers

on the other end. If the writer had completed more research to

get deeper into just one facet of this article, she would most

likely have created a more engaging title, had more substance

to work with, and approached it from a more useful angle.

Page 14: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples:

Controlling ideas/titles

Title: How to Find a Mining Lawyer in Kamloops

Subheadings:

Use the Internet

Ask Around

Make Sure They’re Certified

Articles that address how a certain service can be found and tested

are normally unhelpful to the reader because they degenerate very

quickly into a common sense mad lib-- with information that could

apply to multiple services and categories. If you take this angle (or

another one like it), the information needs to be extremely

specific and use authority and actual insight to really answer the

questions that the reader would have.

Page 15: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples:

Controlling ideas/titles

Title: Dogs and Cats

This article title is too broad and doesn’t explain the

relationship between the two parts of the article. Will the

article explain how to successfully keep both as pets? Is the

article going to explain the differences between training both

of the animals? Or will it expound on the genetic and

developmental differences between the two? We don’t know

the purpose of the article from looking at the title.

See our blog posts on ideation for more information about

controlling ideas and titles.

Page 16: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples: Filler/fluff The terms “filler” and “fluff” refer to any tactics used which

try to overtly “pad” the article without enhancing the article’s

purpose, substance, or clarity. This includes sentences,

commentary, and phrasing that don’t really enhance the user’s

experience.

While some assumptions and generalizations can made by the

writer for the purposes of establishing common ground with

the reader, these tactics, when overused, will actually injure

the writer’s authority and the article’s value.

If you begin writing without doing any research on the issues

surrounding it, chances are you will end up writing filler/fluff.

Examples are on the following slides:

Page 17: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples: Filler/fluff Redundant:

Definitely have your ducts checked out if you think that they’re

clogged. If they’re clogged, then they’ll impede your ability to

breathe. Breathe better by having them checked out.

Irrelevant and unnecessary:

The internet has become an incredible place for people to go who

are looking for things they want to find. And if you’re in a

situation where you need your ducts cleaned, it’s a place you can

go to find someone who can check them out for you. Be extra

careful with your ducts.

Page 18: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 1 examples: Filler/fluff General and absolute:

The duct cleaner you call will have plenty of experience and

knowledge on what his deals are and how you can get you the most

bang for your buck. The best thing about going to a cleaner is that

they are a professional and will know exactly what they are doing

when they look into their ducts. You won’t even have to get your

screwdriver out.

Overkill of emotion and sentimentality:

Your family is the most important thing to you in your life. Can

you imagine what you would do if you found out that one of them

had contracted mold poisoning because you never had your ducts

checked? Besides trips to the hospital, you would be beside

yourself with grief, knowing that your lack of attention to a

simple problem had caused such tragedy. Take responsibility for

those you love and get your ducts checked today.

Page 19: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 2 examplesEditors may not specifically name the problems affecting the

readability of each sentence (i.e. “watch your dangling modifiers”),

but will give examples of troubled sentences within your piece.

The editors will send the article back for revision for dense and

hard-to-read sentences.

Paint that is created from lead which smells are usually the more

permanent paints.

The expectation that chairs made from high-quality frames and that are

wood-constructed will perform better is wise.

These sentences needs to be revised for clarity and flow.

Lighthouse Park serves West Vancouver residents and visitors looking for

native wildlife and scenic views as well as kayaking and whale-watching

tours. Visitors to West Vancouver can stay in a number of hotels along

the coast during their stay. Airports can easily be reached from

anywhere in the city.

The issues in this example are more subtle--lack of parallelism in

verbs, lack of flow and structure between sentences--but still

illustrate problems editors will check for when assessing an article in

the second tier.

Page 20: Simplified Review Tiers

Tier 2 examples The quality found in customized coats will look better longer, and that it

will be resistant to the influences that might normally pose a threat, such

as holes and wear caused by fabric-eating moths.

This sentence is trying to express a worthy idea but the lack of

structure makes it too hard for a web reader to extract.

The first thing you’ll notice when you check your lawn mower after an

accident is the smells. You are going to see parts that are bent and

buzzing, and you want to see a list of how much repairs are going to cost.

This sentence also demonstrates some problems with diction—the

choice and use of words and phrases in writing. Because it doesn’t

use conventional language patterns, it sounds foreign and throws the

reader off.

Proofreading

We are serious about proofreading and hope that by now, you are too. It’s

very easy to quickly review what you have written and catch missing

words, inaccurate punctuation, and homophones. If we see that your piece

has more than a few obvious errors, we will send it back.

Page 21: Simplified Review Tiers

Tiers 3-5 examples Examples and analyses of 3-, 4, and 5-star articles are found on

the WritersDomain blog. See the category “example articles.”