by Tom Geoffroy

Created on: May 03, 2009

One of the most important responsibilities Helium members have is to rate other writers work. Everyone who writes on Helium gets their work rated. In a nutshell we are all critics. The system of peer to peer rating is an advantage for both writer and rater. The writer gets feedback on their work and the rater reads articles on similar subjects they have written on. This helps improve the quality of everyone's work. In order to make the rating process fair, objective, and useful, there are a few criteria to keep in mind.

Spelling:

Are there spelling errors in the article? With spell check software built into the Helium writing control panel, there is really no reason for articles to have spelling errors. Some words are spelled incorrectly because they are really typing errors. These types of mistakes show a lack of diligence on the part of the writer and should cause an article to get a lower rating. Remember, articles written on Helium are published immediately. Every article should be error free. Would you publish the article you are rating if it has spelling errors?

Grammar:

When reading an article with poor grammar, the process becomes painful. While there are times the style of an article calls for a conversation type voice, most often it is best to write with proper grammar and not in the first person.

Format:

Format in an article will make it easy or hard to read. When reading an article to rate, consider the format. Does it look clean? Is it spaced so as to allow the reader ease when reading? The Helium writing control panel allows the writer to check how their article will look before they publish it. If the format does not make it easy to read it will show when previewed. Poor formatting should garner a poorer rating.

Opening Paragraph:

The first paragraph is the hook. If the first few sentences of the first paragraph do not grab the reader, they will not read to the end. This is true for those reading an article to rate it too. Many, articles have been passed over because the reader did not get interested enough to read the entire article. When rating an article you must remember; these articles are going to be read by the general public. Every Helium article should hook the reader and keep them until the very end. A good opening can carry an article to the finish line. Compare the two articles and their opening paragraphs. You might be able to rate them based on that alone.

Punctuation:

Improper or no punctuation can kill an article. Are there commas where

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