Reading and Responding to Writing
Statement of Understanding
Phenomenology of Practice Project (PoPP)
Purpose
Reading and Responding to Writing offers graduate students, researchers, educators, and others an opportunity to receive thoughtful, individualized feedback on their developing phenomenological writing.
Phenomenological writing is often exploratory. A writer may be working with lived experience descriptions, attending to interview material, searching for emerging meanings, or developing a more sustained phenomenological interpretation. At different stages, different kinds of guidance may be helpful.
The purpose of this service is to offer a careful phenomenological reading that helps writers recognize possibilities in their work, consider questions that may have been overlooked, and discover ways of deepening and continuing their inquiry.
The emphasis is on supporting the writer's own understanding and judgment, rather than prescribing particular interpretations or evaluating the writing against a fixed standard.
Two Options for Written Feedback
Option 1. Exploratory Writing and Preliminary Drafts
Up to 6 double-spaced pages | CAD $150
This option is intended for writers in the earlier stages of developing phenomenological material.
Submissions may include initial lived experience descriptions, selected interview excerpts, preliminary attempts at phenomenological description, emerging thematic reflections, or short exploratory pieces.
The response will attend to the phenomenological possibilities within the material, including questions of orientation, the relationship between experience and interpretation, and possible directions for further writing.
Particular attention may be given to helping the writer recognize what warrants closer description or reflection and how experiential material might be developed into a more sustained phenomenological text.
Option 2. Developing Phenomenological Writing
Up to 12 double-spaced pages | CAD $200
This option is intended for writers who have developed a more sustained piece of phenomenological writing.
Submissions may include a developing section of a research paper or dissertation chapter, an extended phenomenological description, an emerging hermeneutic interpretation, or writing that brings lived experience into conversation with philosophical, literary, or other relevant sources.
The response will consider the movement and coherence of the writing as a whole, including its phenomenological orientation, emerging thematic possibilities, interpretive depth, use of sources, and opportunities for further development.
The writing need not be polished or complete. Work that is still searching for its direction may benefit particularly from a careful phenomenological reading.
Choosing an Option
The two options reflect the nature and stage of the writing, not simply its length. Participants who are uncertain which option is most appropriate are welcome to enquire before submitting their work.
Submission and Scope of the Response
Participants are invited to submit their writing together with a brief description of the phenomenon being explored and any particular questions or concerns they would like addressed.
The agreed page limit applies to the material submitted for substantive reading, including relevant excerpts or supporting text. Participants wishing to submit longer or more complex material should enquire beforehand so that an appropriate scope and fee can be agreed upon.
Each arrangement includes one careful reading and one written phenomenological response to the agreed material.
Feedback may take the form of comments within the document, a separate written reflection, or a combination of the two. The form and extent of the response will be guided by the needs of the writing rather than by a predetermined number of comments or pages.
The service does not include proofreading, copyediting, rewriting, comprehensive reference checking, formal manuscript assessment, or repeated reviews of revised drafts.
Nor does it include an accompanying meeting or ongoing correspondence about the writing. Further reading, additional written responses, or an Individual Conversation may be arranged separately by mutual agreement.
Fees and Payment
The fee is CAD $150 for Exploratory Writing and Preliminary Drafts or CAD $200 for Developing Phenomenological Writing.
The fee covers the agreed reading and one written response.
Before payment, the scope of the submission, applicable fee, and anticipated response date will be confirmed.
Any additional work must be discussed and agreed upon in advance. There is no expectation that participants will purchase further services.
Submission and Response Time
Written feedback will ordinarily be provided within 10 working days of receiving the agreed material, unless another timeframe has been arranged.
The response date will be confirmed before payment and commencement of the work. Participants are encouraged to make enquiries well in advance of university submission deadlines or other time-sensitive commitments.
If unforeseen circumstances require a change to the agreed schedule, the participant will be informed promptly and offered a revised date or, where appropriate, a refund.
Participants may cancel before substantive reading has begun and receive a full refund. Once reading or preparation of feedback has commenced, any refund will take account of the work already undertaken and applicable legal requirements.
Confidentiality, Privacy, and Retention of Materials
All submitted writing and related correspondence will be treated as confidential and used solely for the purposes of providing the agreed feedback.
Participants retain authorship and responsibility for their work. Submitted materials will not be published, distributed, or used for other purposes without permission.
Consultation-related materials within PoPP's control will be deleted within 30 days following delivery of the written response. This includes submitted documents, annotated drafts, feedback copies, associated correspondence or chat history, and notes prepared in connection with the reading.
If an arrangement is cancelled before a response is delivered, the 30-day period will begin when the arrangement is closed.
Participants are responsible for retaining copies of their writing and feedback. Information retained independently by third-party service providers may be subject to those providers' own retention policies.
Basic administrative and financial records, including invoices, payment confirmations, and transaction records, may be retained separately where required for accounting, taxation, or legal purposes.
Participants are asked to remove or anonymize identifiable information about research participants unless appropriate authorization has been obtained.
Academic and Professional Responsibilities
Reading and Responding to Writing provides independent educational guidance. It does not constitute formal university supervision, institutional assessment, editorial endorsement, or a guarantee of publication.
The writer remains responsible for all research decisions, interpretations, ethical obligations, institutional requirements, and revisions.
Feedback is offered as an invitation to further reflection and inquiry. The writer is free to consider, question, adapt, or decline the suggestions provided.
No particular academic outcome, institutional approval, or publication can be guaranteed.
Agreement
Participants will have an opportunity to review this Statement of Understanding and raise any questions before submitting their writing.
The nature and length of the submission, fee, and expected response date will be confirmed by mutual agreement before payment and commencement of the work.