Responding to assessors’ comments: The rejoinder process Mark Cassidy Director, Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems 6 July 2011
1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE - NOT the assessor who wrote the comment - the two members of the College of Experts - convince them of your case 2. BE POSITIVE - your last chance to make a positive impression - convey your excitement - leave the College of Experts wanting to fund Top 10 Rejoinder “Do” 1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE - NOT the assessor who wrote the comment - the two members of the College of Experts - convince them of your case
3. MAKE THE CASE FOR FUNDING - Make it easy for the College of Expert Member to argue YOUR case - Provide them with all the information they need … - They want to fund you! Top 10 Rejoinder “Do” 4. PROVE THE CASE - use your application as reference (quote the section, page etc) - provide references for technical points, if required (e.g. Owens et al., Ocean Eng. 23(3)) - convey confidence and prove YOU are the one(s) that can produce outcomes (don’t leave seeds of doubt)
5. ANSWER THE QUESTION (and ONLY THE QUESTION) -Reply to the comment’s given (NOT OTHERS) -Reply to all comments (but weight according to importance) -Do not discard negative comments Top 10 Rejoinder “Do” 6. TURN A FROWN UPSIDE DOWN - Think before you write: how do I turn a negative into a positive? - Don’t get obsessed with petty issues: quickly turn into a positive - Again, convey your excitement
7. WRITE WELL -Write clear and concisely (remember the 2 College of expert members may be reading > 100 applications) -Make their job easy -Get a colleague to read before submitting (a fresh pair of eyes on tone and clarity) -No typos Top 10 Rejoinder “Do”
8. BE PROFESIONAL - Do not personalise: the assessor is one of your peers - The College of Expert member reading your rejoinder chose the assessor Top 10 Rejoinder “Do” 9. UPDATE YOUR TRACK RECORD - update your publications (particularly if ECR) - update awards, outputs, but only if relevant!
10. DON’T DESPAIR - Learn from the experience Top 10 Rejoinder “Do”
BEST OF LUCK!