review

Peer Review Critique Guidelines

Essay 2

Length Requirement: At least 250 words. Use the points below to help write your critique. You

must address each of the issues outlined below. Please respond thoroughly, and give your

peers’ essays the time and attention you would like for your own work. One- or two-word

sentences are not acceptable. Don’t just say, “It’s good,” “I liked it,” or “It flows.” These

statements are not descriptive enough. Quote specific sentences and explain what words or

concepts work well, and why.

Your Assignment: Read your peer’s essay AT LEAST twice. On your first read-through, do not

make any notes. Read simply for content, to understand the points the author is trying to

communicate. On the second read-through, check the text for any frequently repeated

spelling/grammar/sentence construction errors. Any mechanical writing errors should only be

noted if they happen frequently. If this is the case, quote the sentences where these occur in the

essay. Do not be concerned with noting every single error. Specific words, sentences, or even

whole paragraphs are likely to change significantly before the final draft. No need to correct

something that will be re-written later. It is most helpful to explain to the author what you

believe the message of the essay is, and how they may go about developing that message and/or

make it clearer. Lead your critique with positive feedback, and end with suggestions for

improvement.

Guidelines for Critiques:

1. Explain your understanding of the author’s thesis (i.e. – What is their central point about communication in their chosen group?; Quote the essay in your response).

2. What kinds of descriptive language does the author use to describe their observed group (Quote the essay in your response)?

3. Which quotations are working well in the piece, and how do they help characterize the observed group (Quote the essay in your response)?

4. What are the strongest aspects of the essay (Quote the essay in your response)?

5. What parts of the essay are difficult to understand (Quote the essay in your response)? Offer suggestions for improvement.

6. How does the introduction engage you with the essay (Quote the essay in your response)?

7. How could the author improve the introduction?

8. Is the structure of the essay laid out in a logical manner? How would you describe that structure?

9. What additional message does the author’s conclusion provide, aside from the original thesis (Quote the essay in your response)? How might the author improve their

conclusion?

10. What aspects of the instructor’s formatting requirements (font style and size, margins, header, title, page numbers, word and page count minimums) does the author fail to

adhere to (if any)?

11. How does the author fail to adhere to MLA or APA guidelines? Address the use of in-text citations and their Works Cited page (if one is necessary). Consult MLA/APA guidelines

to answer this question, and quote the essay in your response.

Objectives:

This assignment is designed to address the following Learning Outcomes:

• Produce texts that: have a clear purpose; respond to the needs of intended audiences; assume an appropriate stance; adopt an appropriate voice, tone, style, and level of

formality.

• Use reading and writing for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating; analyze relationships among writer, text, and audience in various kinds of texts; use various

critical thinking strategies to analyze texts.

• Understand writing as a series of recursive and interrelated steps that includes generating ideas and text, drafting, revising, and editing; recognize that writing is a flexible,

recursive process.

• Work with others to improve your own and others’ texts.

• Employ appropriate conventions for structure, paragraphing, mechanics, and format.