2 Shabd · Help Centre

Review Writing Guidelines

Write useful behavioral observations that describe what you actually saw, not just what a person completed or what you think their personality is like.

These guidelines explain the recommended format for reviews, including reviews submitted for a Behavioral Competency Report (BCR).

Maximum length: 1,000 characters per review. Keep the observation specific, fair, and grounded in a real situation.

1. Use the observation format

Use this structure to connect a concrete situation with behavior you observed:

When [specific action or situation happened], they showcased [observable behavior].

When: Describe the moment, task, interaction, challenge, or decision you observed.

They showcased: Describe the person's visible or audible behavior, such as asking clarifying questions, listening to others, adapting after feedback, explaining an idea, or following through on a commitment.

2. Examples

Useful observation

When our team disagreed about how to divide the work, she asked each member to explain their availability and helped us agree on a fair allocation.

Why it works: It describes a specific situation and observable actions without making an unsupported personality judgment.

Too vague

He is a great leader and always does everything perfectly.

Why it needs improvement: It relies on broad praise and does not identify a particular situation or behavior.

Task completion alone

She completed the presentation.

Why it needs improvement: It reports an outcome but does not describe how the person behaved while completing the task.

3. Writing a strong review

Write about behavior you personally observed or can accurately substantiate.
Be specific and concise. Include enough context for the behavior to make sense.
Describe actions rather than assigning labels such as “lazy,” “genius,” or “born leader.”
Use balanced, respectful language. Mention a constructive behavior even when describing a difficult moment.
Do not invent events, copy another person's review, coordinate ratings, or write a review in someone else's name.
Avoid unnecessary sensitive personal information, speculation about motives, insults, and unrelated allegations.
Keep the complete review within 1,000 characters.

4. Reviews for a BCR

For each semester, the intended BCR composition is one self-review, two peer reviews, and one supervisor review. All relevant accounts must be verified. A review submitted for BCR consideration is reviewed by an authorized psychologist; submission does not guarantee that it will be included.

When submitting a review written by another person, identify the reviewer and select the correct role. A supervisor-status user may be designated as a peer only where the submission flow permits it and a separate eligible supervisor review is also assigned. Never misclassify a reviewer to bypass the BCR requirements.

Approved reviews submitted for BCR consideration may be shown on home pages of users in the relevant college regardless of the review's assigned visibility setting. On a profile page, the assigned visibility setting continues to apply. The interpreted BCR remains confidential. Read the Privacy Notice for details.

5. What happens after submission?

Check that the observation is accurate, respectful, and within the character limit.
Submit it through the applicable review or BCR flow and select the correct review type.
If it is submitted for BCR consideration, an authorized psychologist assesses whether the observation is suitable for inclusion.
The review may be accepted, excluded, or handled in accordance with the Platform's assessment and integrity rules.