Teachign Scientists To Write

Female Science Professor posted today about a wackaloon experience she had going back and forth with an inexperienced trainee on revisions of a conference abstract submission. She and the trainee went back and forth about FSP’s revisions and the trainee’s expectations concerning the nature of guidance and feedback on the writing that was being provided. FSP discussed this with a colleagues:

In discussing this with colleagues, opinions are divided as to whether I should have been more helpful with respect to the student’s desire to be independent, even if it meant repeating the same editorial suggestions and going through even more than the 4 drafts I eventually read vs. whether I was too accommodating of the student’s lack of organization, initiative, and demonstrated ability to work independently.

Are you fucking kidding me? Mark the motherfucker up with a red pen, give it back, receive another draft, mark that motherfucker up, the student implements the final edits, and you move the fuck on. Four drafts for a fucking conference abstract!? FSP is the senior author on this abstract, and FSP has final authority over its content.
As far as pedagogical style for teaching trainees how to write, they learn by having their work edited by people who already know how to write, and by implementing those fucking edits without a fuckload of hand-wringing and meta-discussion.