Although we do not copy edit papers, we do not ignore grammatical, mechanical, and style problems in students’ papers. Instead, we draw a student’s attention to the error: POINT, ask if the student can recognize and IDENTIFY the error, and finally, ask if the student can CORRECT the error.

When you see a problem, ask if the student can identify the problem. If yes, ask the student to explain the problem, and then ask if the student can correct the problem. If the student cannot identify the problem, you should do that. If the student cannot correct the problem, you should help the student correct the problem.

Repeat this process three times. Each time, encourage the student to point out, identify, and then correct the error or problem.  After that, encourage the student to complete corrections of the error during the revision process.    If a student still has difficulty identifying and correcting the error, refer the student to one of the faculty writing tutors.

Remember the 3x PIC rule: Point—Identify—Correct—x3