The point of peer review is not to make you feel superior when reading someone else’s paper; neither is it to help each other feel better. Peer review serves to help each other understand and improve the quality of our work. Reviewing is a constructive process, a part of the development of your critical ability. It teaches you how to analyze someone else’s written work, and ultimately your own, better. While reviewing, keep the assignment in mind. Peer review, done seriously and honestly, is much like the principles of friendship; you give to your fellow writer your opinion with her or his best interests in mind (and remember, someone is reviewing your paper too). All writers, including professors and professionals, make use of their peers’ comments to better their writing; it is a good practice to get into.

How not to respond (as usual):

Peer Review Cat

Purpose: Peer review is a chance for you to help each other advance beyond the current draft toward your finished paper.Writing is never done in a vacuum, and peer reviews demonstrate the way that all writing is social, part of a community dialogue, and subject to change based on the responses of a particular audience.There is a triangular relationship between the writer, the reader, and the material, and peer review makes this dynamic visible.

Please remember: Make your comments constructive and helpful: use a positive encouraging tone; avoid unhelpful comments, and an excessive focus on grammar, spelling, and mechanics.

Procedure: Post your paper to the discussion thread that features your name. Respond to the papers of the two other people in your peer group.

Your peer review consists of two parts: Comments directly on their essays as well as a letter written to your peers.To make comments in MS Word, go to “Tools” in your main menu at the top, and scroll down to “Track Changes.”Click on this and then you are able to make notes directly on their papers.Then answer the following questions in a letter to each of your peers:

Scrutinize each paragraph separately (this can be done directly on the draft itself):

What is the basic point?
How does each paragraph relate to the essay's thesis?
Should some paragraphs be further developed, condensed, combined, rearranged, or deleted? (If you "outline" each paragraph by briefly stating the main topic in the margins, that will help you answer these questions more effectively.)
Is each sentence clearly related to the one preceding it—and the one that follows?

Is there background information that presents the issue clearly to the audience?
Is there enough clear and effective evidence (examples, testimony of authorities, personal observations, etc.) to support the thesis?Where could additional evidence(examples, facts, testimony etc) be used to make the argument more effective?
Can you accept the writer's assumptions? Why or why not? Be specific.
Are the needs of the audience kept in mind? For instance, do some concepts or words need to be defined?
Are the opponents’ views presented clearly and fairly? Are the opponents’ views important enough to bother with? Are the opponents’ views refuted using reasonable counter arguments?Does the essay avoid any logical fallacies or problems in tone?
Is there background information that presents the issue clearly to the audience?
Are there adequate transitions between paragraphs?
Are the introductory and concluding paragraphs effective? What works so far—and what might need revision? Please be specific in your advice.
Were you convinced by the argument?Why or why not?
Comment on the sources used in the paper:

Do they seem to be overused?Underused?Are they used fairly equally or has the writer leaned on one or two sources too much?
Do the sources look academic?Credible?Are there at least three outside sources used including one scholarly one?

Put this letter at the end of their drafts. And your letter should be just that: A letter. What you want to do is what Stewie calls the compliment sandwich.

In your letter, you'll want to begin by finding something to praise in the draft. For example,

Dear Lynne,

I love, love, love your introduction. If this were Facebook I would totally put the heart symbol! Your introduction is engaging, nicely introduces your subject matter, and ends with a clear thesis statement at the end. Nice work! You then provide a couple of specific pieces of evidence to support that thesis. I particularly like . . .

However, there is a major issue with the third piece of evidence you chose. It really doesn't support your thesis because . . .

There are also some other paragraphs that really don't relate. These are on pages 4 and 5, and I've marked them on your draft. There may be a way to fit them in if you . . .

In the rest of this letter, I'll go through the bullet points on our guidelines sheet . . .

You're on the right track, Lynne. You have a dynamic thesis and some good evidence. Now you just need to take out the parts of the essay that don't relate, do some final editing, and you should have a fabulous essay!

Once you have done both the letter and marked up the draft, save your peers’ papers and upload them as replies to your group's discussion thread.

Make sure you do both parts—the letter and the comments on the draft.