Tutorama: Week Two: Getting the Most Out of Peer Review

Peer review is a process that happens at least once for every short paper in English 301, and several times for drafts of the final research paper. During peer review, students exchange papers in order to comment on each other's work under the supervision of the instructor. Because peer review is an integral part of the process of writing in Writing Program classes, you should learn to make the most of the process. What follows are guidelines for getting the most out of peer review.

• Peer review is not proofreading.
  Though your instructor may vary his or her instructions for peer review depending on assignment and the needs of the class, peer review will always concern the substance of your argument and the required elements of the essay form. Though you are responsible for correcting typographical errors and misspelling, peer review will not be devoted to these activities. If you have spent a peer review class merely proofreading, the instructor has the right to correct you for not following directions.

• Peer review will always require you to answer certain questions about other people's writing.
  At first, you may be tempted to answer these questions with one or two words, or a short phrase. However, most peer review questions cannot be answered productively in this way. If your instructor asks "Has this draft incorporated useful evidence from source texts?", a yes or no answer is of little use to the writer. You will need to write at least a short paragraph to talk about different parts of the draft, different uses of evidence, and why or why not the evidence was useful. Only then will the writer be able take your comments home and change the draft for the better.

• Learning to do effective peer review, like writing itself, takes time and practice.
  If you are having trouble completing a peer review sheet in the class time given, it is always better to answer some questions thoroughly than all questions poorly. Always ask yourself: "If I were receiving this comment about my own work, would it be useful to me?"

• Give constructive, courteous criticism.
  The first time you go through the process of peer review, you may feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, and frightened. This is understandable. No one wants to read bad things about their own work, or be embarrassed in public. But the solution to this problem is not to avoid peer review by saying only nice or bland things about the writing of others. The solution is to always give encouragement and constructive, courteous criticism. For instance, rather than saying, "There was no point to this paragraph," say, "I didn't understand the connection between your central claim and the evidence you presented." Always describe the draft in a way that leads to new action on the part of the writer. Rather than saying "I think your argument is very good," say "I think you're asking very important questions about the history of American popular culture. Maybe you should do more research into other writers who are asking similar questions."

• Keep your talk focused.
  If your instructor breaks the class up into small groups for peer review, you may be tempted to talk about anything else but the draft in front of you. Do not think that your instructor will not notice this kind of diversion. However, not all talk during peer review is bad: you should feel free to ask questions of each other and explain your comments to each other. Sometimes, talking a writing problem through with a sympathetic group is the key to finding a way forward.

• Ask questions.
  If you have any questions about peer review in general or a specific peer review task, be sure to ask your instructor, either in class or during office hours. Keep in mind that if you have a question, other people in the class probably do too.