As you read and comment on each other's papers, keep in mind the purpose and audience of the paper (that is, to introduce a system to people who are new to it).

Procedure for Editors

1. Write "Edited by" and your name at the top of the author's paper. You can write your comments on the back, or on another sheet of paper.
2. Read the paper through once without making any comments. Then, write down briefly your first impressions of the paper:
1. How well does it do the job? Does it tell novice users what they need to know about the system? Does it give them enough background and context to get them started learning the details? If you didn't know anything about this system, would this paper help get you started?
2. Is it well organized and easy to follow?
3. Do mechanical errors get in the way of reading it?
3. Read the paper again, more carefully, making brief comments in the margins. Focus your comments on the organization and content; don't spend much time proofreading for spelling or grammatical errors (which is the author's job).
4. Write down brief answers to these questions:
1. Does the author make appropriate assumptions about what the reader already knows?
2. What are the main points the author wants to teach the audience?
3. How well do you think the audience will understand those points after reading this introduction?
4. What would make this introduction and tutorial more effective?
5. How well is the paper organized at the paragraph level? Does each paragraph have a clear purpose? Does the opening paragraph engage you and make you want to read further? Does the closing paragraph summarize what has been explained?
6. Review your comments with the author (and vice versa).

Authors: keep this first draft and the editor's comments; you will turn them in with your final version.