Peer review refers to the many ways in which writers can share their work with peers for constructive feedback. Writers are then able to use this feedback to revise and improve their work. For the writing process, revision is as important as drafting, but writers often feel they cannot let go of their original words. By keeping an audience in mind and participating in focused peer review interactions, writers can offer productive feedback, accept constructive criticism, and use this feedback to revise their papers.
The purpose of peer reviewing is to provide your classmates with feedback about how they can improve their papers. Your aim is to help each other succeed as writers. You are acting in the role of a coach and not an instructor. Tell the writer what you liked about the paper and suggest ideas or areas for improvement. Show a genuine interest in the paper and compliment the paper’s strengths. When you make suggestions, target specific passages in the paper. The writer needs to know how readers react to his or her paper. Although you will be given a specific set of questions to answer, these two important questions should guide you during the peer review process:
- What is the writer trying to argue for in this paper?
- How can the writer make this argument more effective and persuasive?
After you have read the paper once, read the paper a second time before you fill out the peer review worksheet. This will better ensure you are able to provide constructive criticism. Be sure to indicate obvious spelling or grammatical errors. Even seasoned writers can easily miss their own mistakes and typos. Think about the flow of the paper, its appeal to the audience, and consistency of the argument. Treat your peer’s paper with the same respect as you treated your own paper, and be honest (but gentle) with your points of contention. If an argument needs more evidence, make sure you state that to the writer. Finally, make sure the writer cites sources appropriately. Again, you will answer specific questions provided on the peer review worksheet. The aforementioned tips should be kept in mind as you read your partner’s paper.
By Day 7
Your Instructor will post an announcement, which lists the pairs for the peer review process. Review your partner’s paper utilizing the Peer Review Worksheet, located in this week’s Learning Resources. Ensure you fully answer each question on this worksheet. (Your partner’s rough draft can be found in the Peer Review Forum.)
In addition to submitting your Peer Review Worksheet below, post your completed Peer Review Worksheet to the Peer Review Forum where your colleague can see it.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
- Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK5Assgn2+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
- Click the Basic Integrated Reading/Writing Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
- Click the Week 5 Assignment 2 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
- Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK5Assgn2+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
- If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
- Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
