Peer Review - Routine Message
PEER REVIEW CHECKLIST
PART I: Get Oriented
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR CLASSMATE’S SUBMISSIONS
YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR CLASSMATE’S ASSIGNMENT BY:
· Clicking on one of your classmates' names on the right-hand side of the Rough Draft of [Assignment Name] landing page.
· Clicking the "Show Feedback" hyperlink in the upper right-hand corner of the central white portion of the screen.
· Maximizing the editing box by clicking the diagonal arrow in the upper right-hand corner of the gray window that appears on your screen.
HOW TO PEER REVIEW YOUR CLASSMATE’S WORK
YOU CAN PEER REVIEW YOUR CLASSMATE’S WORK BY:
· Reading your classmate’s submission once, in its entirety, without making any comments.
· Reading the assignment 2-3 more times, using the checklists below (in Parts II and III) to help you identify the various writing errors and issues most likely to appear in your classmate’s work.
· Leaving a comment, using the Canvas editing tools, for each error or issue you identify in your classmate’s work (see below for details). PLEASE NOTE: If you cannot find at least three points to criticize in your classmate's draft, instead leave comments detailing what you liked or found effective about their draft.
· Linking each of your comments to one of the categories of the rubric, available at the bottom of the Rough Draft of [Assignment Name] landing page.
HOW TO COMMENT ON AND GRADE YOUR CLASSMATE’S WRITING
YOU CAN LEAVE COMMENTS ON AND GRADE YOUR CLASSMATE’S WORK BY:
· Clicking the buttons for the pointer and highlighter editing tools in the top right-hand corner of the editing box to leave at least three comments on your classmate's draft. PLEASE NOTE : Use the pointer tool to comment on individual words or punctuations marks; use the highlighter tool to comment on words, sentences, or phrases.
· Closing the editing box and clicking the “Show Rubric” hyperlink on the right-hand side of the screen.
· Completing and saving a rubric for your classmate's draft (based on the instructions in the checklists below).
· Repeating the process above for the other person whose draft you've been assigned to review.
PLEASE NOTE: You will not be assigned drafts to review until you arrive in class on the day when drafts are due.
PART II: Check for Grammar, Style, Format, and Organization
GRAMMAR ERRORS (Deduct 4% of total points from “Grammar & Professionalism”)
☐ RUN-ON SENTENCE / SENTENCE FRAGMENT
· DEFINITION:
Run-on sentences are units of text that include:
· two independent clauses [i.e. subject-verb pairs] joined without an appropriate conjunction or punctuation, or;
· an independent clause and a fragment joined without an appropriate conjunction or punctuation.
Fragments are:
· Units of text that do not contain a complete subject-verb pair, and/or;
· Subordinate clauses that are not attached to a dominant clause.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ HOMOPHONE ERROR
· DEFINITION:
When writers confuse words that sound the same but have different meanings.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ POSSESSIVE ERROR
· DEFINITION:
When writers incorrectly indicate a possessive relationship between two nouns.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ AGREEMENT ERROR
· DEFINITION:
When the subject of a sentence disagrees in number with either its verb conjugation or with subsequent possessive pronouns.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DANGLING MODIFIER
· DEFINITION:
When the implied subject of a subordinate clause does not correspond to the subject of a sentence’s dominant clause.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
MISCELLANEOUS STYLE ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Style & Diction”)
☐ WRITER-FOCUSED WRITING
· DEFINITION:
When writers organize their sentences around themselves and their needs rather than their readers and their needs.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ AWKWARD, OVERBLOWN, OR UNCLEAR WORD CHOICE
· DEFINITION:
When writers use language that is unclear, needlessly complex, or inappropriate for its context.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
CLARITY ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Style & Diction”)
☐ PASSIVE VOICE
· DEFINITION:
· A sentence or clause in which the verb acts upon the subject (rather than vice versa);
· A sentence that obscures the logical order of causation:
· Actor → action → recipient of action.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DUMMY SUBJECT / VAGUE PRONOUN
· DEFINITION:
Sentences without a clear actor.
· Dummy Subjects: Sentences that begin with meaningless placeholders like “there are,” “there is,” or “it is” (when “it” does not refer to a noun from a previous sentence).
· Vague Pronouns: Sentences that begin with demonstrative pronouns like “this,” “that,” “these,” or “those” (and that are unaccompanied by a subsequent noun).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ BURIED VERB
· DEFINITION:
Verbs that have been transformed into nouns.
o (Tip: Many of the most offensive nominalizations end in “-ion” or “-ment.”)
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ INACTIVE VERB
· DEFINITION:
Verbs that refer to states of being rather than actions.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ NEGATIVE LANGUAGE
· DEFINITION:
Sentences that contain the word “not” or other negations.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
CONCISION ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Style & Diction”)
☐ LENGTHY / RAMBLING SENTENCES
· DEFINITION:
Long sentences are sentences that require more than two full lines of text (using 10-12 point font).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ EXCESSIVE USE OF MODIFIERS
· DEFINITION:
Modifiers include amplifiers like “very” or “really,” as well as adjectives (words that modify nouns) and adverbs (words that modify verbs, typically ending in “-ly”).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ REDUNDANT LANGUAGE (REDUNDANT PAIRS AND MODIFIERS)
· DEFINITION:
Two common forms of redundant language include:
· Redundant pairs (paired words that have the same meaning), and;
· Redundant modifiers (adjective-noun / adverb-verb pairs where the modifier [i.e. the adjective or adverb] conveys a meaning that that noun or verb implies).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ EVASIVE OR OBVIOUS STATEMENTS (HEDGING AND METADISCOURSE)
· DEFINITION:
Two common forms of evasive or obvious statements include:
· Hedging (ambivalent language that weakens your message), and;
· Metadiscourse (writing about writing).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
CONTINUITY ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Style & Diction”)
☐ WEAK LINKS BETWEEN SENTENCES
· DEFINITION:
Sentence pairs that writers fail to link using one or more of the main continuity principles.
· Use sequencing to link sentences with different subjects
· Use transitions to indicate logical relationships between sentences
· Use common subjects to link sentences with shared subjects
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
COHESION ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Style & Diction”)
☐ WEAK PARAGRAPH HEAD
· DEFINITION:
Paragraph heads are 1-2 sentence summaries of a paragraph’s content and purpose that appear at the beginning of all well-constructed paragraphs.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ WEAK MAPPING STATEMENT
· DEFINITION:
A mapping statement is statement that previews and/or summarizes the structure and arguments of lengthier documents. It typically appears in a document’s introduction and/or conclusion.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
FORMATTING ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Format & Organization”)
☐ WEAK VISUAL APPEAL
· DEFINITION:
The phrase ‘visual appeal’ describes documents that appear well-organized and easy-to-navigate. Documents with strong visual appeal typically feature opening and closing salutations, short paragraphs, bullets points, and/or signposts (include section headers).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ IMPROPER DOCUMENT FORMATTING
· DEFINITION:
Improperly formatted documents use a document format (ex.: email, memo, or formal letter) other than the one the assignment requires.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ IMPROPER USE OF BLOCK FORMATTING
· DEFINITION:
Block formatting describes the standard method of formatting the body of business documents. Texts that use block formatting feature single-spaced, left-justified text with a ragged right margin; un-indented paragraphs; and full line spaces between paragraphs.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
ORGANIZATION ERRORS (Deduct 2% of total points from “Format & Organization”)
☐ PARALLEL PHRASING ERROR
· DEFINITION:
When writers construct items in a series or list using more than one grammatical form.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ WEAK FRONTLOADING / SUMMATION
· DEFINITION:
Frontloading describes the process of summarizing one’s main point at the beginning of a message (where appropriate); summation describes the process of summarizing one’s main point at the end of a message (where appropriate).
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ INEFFECTIVE DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
· DEFINITION:
The phrase ‘ineffective document structure’ describes documents or units of text that are organized in an ineffective, hard-to-follow, or unintuitive way. These documents may follow the prescribed structural guidelines for the message type in question but nevertheless be deficient in other areas of organization.
· HOW MANY ERRORS: Click or tap here to enter text.
·
PART III: Check for Content
ALL MESSAGES (Deduct 4% of total points from “Content” for each “No”)
☐ IS THE MESSAGE EASY AND/OR ENJOYABLE TO READ?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES THE MESSAGE MAINTAIN AN APPROPRIATE TONE?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES THIS MESSAGE SEEK TO DEVELOP GOODWILL WITH READERS?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
SUBJECT LINES (Deduct 4% of total points from “Content” for each “No”)
☐ IS THE SUBJECT LINE ACTION ORIENTED?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES IT INDICATE THE ACTION THE WRITER WANTS THE READER TO TAKE?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES IT SUMMARIZE THE MAIN POINT OF THE MESSAGE?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
ROUTINE MESSAGES (Deduct 4% of total points from “Content” for each “No”)
☐ DOES THE FIRST SENTENCE SUMMARIZE THE MESSAGE’S MAIN POINT?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES THE MESSAGE CONTEXTUALIZE ITS STATEMENT OR REQUEST (IF NECESSARY)?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ DOES THE MESSAGE SUCCESSFULLY CONVEY ITS STATEMENT OR REQUEST?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.
☐ WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO AFTER FINISHING THIS MESSAGE?
Answer “Yes” or “No.” If you answer “No,” explain why: Click or tap here to enter text.