La relecture — The Read-Through

The Supervisor's Read-Through

In French academic culture, a supervisor's comments on a draft are often detailed and direct, and written criticism can look severe to students from traditions that cushion it more. The underlying expectation is that a supervisor who covers a draft in comments is taking it seriously. The forms used are characteristic: impersonal and conditional criticism such as il aurait fallu que or vous auriez gagné à, litotes such as ce n'est pas mal, and clear distinctions between what is fundamental, like structure and method, and what is a matter of form. A standard point in social-science theses is the explicit discussion of limitations: the size and nature of the sample, the researcher's position, and the conditions of the fieldwork. Far from being seen as a weakness, a clear account of limitations is expected, and committees tend to be harder on limitations they discover than on limitations the candidate has acknowledged. Before the defense, students are usually expected to submit a final, corrected version, with consistent formatting and references, often by a deadline a week or two before the soutenance. Having the text proofread by someone else, a classmate, a friend or a family member, is common practice and widely recommended.