The Adjudication Process

Adjudivators must arrive at their decision after carefull consideration. This will include listening attentively to all speakers in the debate, taking notes and applying the rules of debating. 

Note taking is important because notes allow an adjudicator to resolve issues which emeerge leter in the debate, for instance, where there is a dipute over the devinition of certain terms. Adjudicators must be wary not to enter the debate while makin notes by filtering the comments made by speakers. For example, a speaker may provide an argument which has no clear link to the topic. The adjudicator may infer a link and record this inference in their notes, later crediting to speaker with having made the link.

Adjudicators should mark the scores of the speakers as the debate proceeds. Leaving the marking of scores to the end of the debate can be a perilous exercise in recalling the mater, method and manner of earlier speakers. It may result in the adjudicator overemphasising the impact of third speakers.