A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, 7th edition - Kate L. Turabian 2007

Talk to your instructor
Learning from your returned paper
Part I. Research and writing: from planning to production

If your teacher's comments include words like disorganized, illogical, or unsupported and you cannot find what triggered them, make an appointment to ask. As with every other step in your project, that visit will go better if you plan and even rehearse it:

If your teacher marked up spelling, punctuation, and grammar, correct those errors in bold letters before you talk to your teacher to show him that you took his comments seriously. In fact, you might jot responses after his comments to show that you've read them closely.

Don't complain about your grade. Be clear that you want only to understand the comments so that you can do better next time.

Focus on just a few comments. Rehearse your questions so that they'll seem amiable: not “You say this is disorganized but you don't say why,” but rather “Can you help me see where I went wrong with my organization so I can do better next time?”

Ask your instructor to point to passages that illustrate his judgments and what those passages should have looked like. Do not ask “What didn't you like?” but rather “Where exactly did I go wrong and what could I have done to fix it?”

If your teacher can't clearly explain his judgment, he may have graded your paper impressionistically rather than point by point. If so, bad news: you may learn little from your visit.

You might visit your teacher even if you got an A. It is important to know how you earned it, because your next project is likely to be more challenging and may even make you feel like a beginner again. In fact, don't be surprised if that happens with every new project. It happens to most of us. But with a plan, we usually overcome it, and so can you.