Discussant Guidelines

How to Prepare for Your Session

Read the paper(s) several times.
Rehearse your presentation and stay within time constraints.
Connect papers to current events if possible.
Use constructive and helpful language.
Stay within your allotted time limit.
Balance positive and negative comments.
Avoid using this as a platform for a personal "ax to grind" about a topic/paper/presenter.

Give the core idea of each paper.
Identify shared ideas across papers.
Integrate the ideas; give a context and connect the papers.
Encourage audience participation in integrating the papers or suggesting next steps.
Give each paper equal time.
Talk about ideas not included in the paper.
Make constructive suggestions about methods or arguments.
Compare what was said to what you expected.
Discuss teaching and/or research implications of the papers.
Suggest future directions.