Tillyard Research
How papers are read and reviewed
Tillyard Research is a student publication. Students at other colleges read the papers, and they are not experts in the field. An editor reviews each paper after it is submitted.
How reading works
A student writes a paper and sends it. Students at other colleges who chose to read may be offered it. They do not know who wrote it, and the author does not know who read it. Each reader scores six things from 0 to 2 and says why in their own words.
Reading is always a choice. Nobody has to read, and nothing is given for reading. After up to three readings, or when the wait ends, the paper goes to an editor for review. Nothing goes up before that review is done.
What readers look for
| What | Not yet | Partly | Clearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| The questionIs it clear what the paper asks, and is the question worth asking? | 0. The question is missing or cannot be told from the text. | 1. A question can be found but it is broad or changes as the paper goes on. | 2. The question is stated early, is narrow enough to answer and stays in view. |
| The methodCould someone else repeat what the author did? | 0. The paper does not say how the work was done. | 1. Some steps are described but a reader would have to guess others. | 2. The steps are described well enough to repeat, and the choices are explained. |
| The evidenceDoes the evidence fit what the paper claims? | 0. Claims are made with little or no evidence. | 1. Some claims rest on evidence, others go beyond it. | 2. Each main claim rests on evidence shown in the paper. |
| The sourcesAre the sources suitable, and used fairly? | 0. Sources are missing, hard to find or do not say what the paper says they do. | 1. Most sources are suitable but some are weak or used loosely. | 2. Sources are suitable, can be found, and are used fairly. |
| The reasoningDoes the reasoning follow from the evidence? | 0. The conclusions do not follow from what came before. | 1. The reasoning mostly follows but has gaps or leaps. | 2. Each step follows from the last and alternatives are considered. |
| The limitsDoes the author say what the work cannot show? | 0. The paper does not say what it cannot show. | 1. Limits are mentioned but briefly or only in general terms. | 2. The limits are specific and are weighed against the conclusions. |
Scores help the editor and the author. They are not shown on a paper's page and they are not a mark.
Help from AI tools
Your paper must be your own work. Tell us about any AI help. We look at the drafting record and the sources, we run our own checks for copied text and for signs of AI-written text, and we may ask you questions about your paper. Those checks aren't perfect, so a person looks at anything they flag before we act. We do not use outside AI detectors, and no flag settles anything alone. We may decline, unpublish or withdraw the record of a paper we cannot confirm is yours.
Declined papers
If a paper is not accepted, only its author sees that, with the readers' notes. The author may ask once for a second look.