Report and Abstract Grading Codes and Abbreviations

Alphabetical Index

"in quotes"        ?    ??    ???       awk.    colloq.    expt. focus    FALSE    gram.   incomplete   LC    mixed msg    NAS    NAW    no info.    no lists    non seq.    oops    phys. focus    PKA    ~PKA    pl/sing    quantify    Red.    Rpt    run-on    RDC    scattered    Sp    TMD    too advanced    too long    UA    unclear    unneces.    vague    var. name    vb.#    vb. tense    WOE    word process    wordy    WPh    WW    ~WW    X.verb.    ZZZ

These will only appear in comments on physical paper

line through text    ^ or v    ignore    

Miscellaneous:
This section has been plagiarized, most likely from the lab manual.
something in quotes A direct quote from the instructions for this assignment which you have not followed.
ignore I marked something that I shouldn't have.  Pay no attention.  Everything is fine here.

Rules of writing:
Sp Spelling error. Sometimes, it is impossible for me to tell whether an error is due to grammar or spelling, and gets both marked.
LC Lower case: This shouldn't be capitalized.
gram.

Grammar error.
vb.# or pl/sing Two or more words do not agree as to whether they are plural or singular.
run-on

Run on sentence: something written as one sentence, but actually is two separate sentences (possibly with the word "and" between them). The worst kind are when the two pieces have nothing to do with each other.
NAW This is not a real word
NAS This collection of words is Not A Sentence
oops Obvious mistype or accidental omission. May reflect carelessness, but not a underlying problem with grammar or spelling.
UA Unclear Antecedent. This pronoun is used in a way that makes it difficult for the reader to know to which noun it refers.

Style:
colloq. Colloquial expression, too conversational for written reports.
expt. focus Your writing should focus on what your own experiment, not on what someone "could" do with the same or similar setup.
phys. focus Your writing should focus on the physics of your experiment, NOT on the sequence of events during your experiment.  This is more a matter of style than content; very likely you can rewrite these sentences in a way that changes the focus.
PKA Prior Knowledge Assumed. The indicated sentence assumes that the reader knows something that they haven't read about yet. This relates to something you did that the reader cannot know.  Different from the "advanced" code.
~PKA The text reads as if you assume that the reader knows something, but could be fixed without actually adding information.  Example: "We raised the air track to an angle of…" sounds like you have already described the air track, while "We raised an air track to an angle of…" does not.
TMD Too Much Detail. This may either relate to something that the reader doesn't really need to know, or it may be due to your having underestimated what you can assume from the intended audience.
vague Sentence says something, but the reader cannot figure out exactly what.  Common example: Writing "calculated" only means that numbers were involved; there is almost always a better way to express what you did.
Difference from "incomplete": "vague" is due to style or word choice, while "incomplete"calls for writing more.
scattered

Various things are written in this part, but they are not connected into an organized narrative.
no lists A list of equipment is never the best option.  Instead, describe what each thing does.
WOE

Written Out Equation: you have written out in words something that should be written as a mathematical object (most likely an equation).
* For Reports, write as an equation.
* For Abstracts, you probably shouldn't be including this information, unless you are writing a "presentation abstract."
X.verb.

Excess Verbiage: This could have been done significantly more concisely. Applies to a complete thought.
wordy The style is unnecessarily wordy. Similar to "X.verb.", but applies to a phrase or words, often words which could just be left out.
Red. Redundant: The same thing has been written twice.
Rpt

Repetitious: Using the same words too often doesn't read nicely.
vb. tense

The tense of verbs (e.g. past, present, future, etc.) in your writing must be consistent. Normally, use present tense for statements of fact or describing things genericly, past tense when describing actions you took, and future tense for specific actions to be taken. (Non-specific usually indicates generic, and thus present tense.)
word process Scientific writing often requires things which would be difficult to produce on a typewriter (symbols, greek letters, subscripts and superscripts, ...). However, you are not using a typewriter. I expect you to learn to use the facilities of your word processor to do these things.

New paragraph should start here.
awk. Awkward wording.
too long This sentence is too long to be read easily. Break into several sentences.

Meaning:
? I can't tell why this word is used.
?? I can't tell what this sentence or clause means.
??? The sentence, as written, means something different from what you probably intended.  (Often, the literal meaning is clearly silly.)
no info. This sentence basically says nothing. Or at least nothing of interest.
ZZZ Boring. Serves no real purpose in the write up, that is, doesn't really communicate anything new to the reader.
RDC Reader Doesn't Care: Not only are you not focusing on the physics of the experiment (see phys focus), your actual content is not about the physics of the experiment, which is what the reader has come to read about.
unclear I can't understand what you are trying to say here.
incomplete Sentence does not give reader enough information to completely understand what was done.
Difference from "vague": "vague" is due to style or word choice, while "incomplete"calls for writing more.
quantify Doesn't give as much information as it should (often, there should be a numerical value instead of a vague descriptor)
mixed msg There are two separate issues here which are getting mixed together, with the result that neither one is clear.
WW

Wrong Word: this word doesn't mean what you think it means.
WPhr Wrong Phrase: this phrase doesn't mean what you think it means.
~WW Not the best word choice, although not totally incorrect.
^ or v pointing at some words

Word(s) that I think you should have added to clarify meaning.
too advanced You have overestimated the prior physics knowledge of the intended audience.  This does NOT mean that you should remove it; rather, more explanation is needed.
unneces. or a line through text

Unnecessary statement. Either obvious enough to be assumed, or will be clear when a more specific statement is made.
Example: "We had to measure the table length. The table was measured to be 6.55m long." Given the second sentence, the first one is unnecessary.
non seq. non sequitur: A conclusion is made that does not follow from the premise.

Physics:
var. name

Use variable names that are appropriate for the specific situation. Many equations, when you learn them, are given using generic variable names that are not appropriate for your specific application.
FALSE The sentence says something incorrect, and I don't think it is a language problem.