Assignment 3-2

HLT-317v: Peer Review Guidelines

What is Peer Review?

Peer review is the process of allowing another person to read your piece of writing in order to offer suggestions and feedback. This can happen at any stage of the writing process, but can be especially helpful during the revision stage. The peer reviewer often has a clear focus while they read, such as a rubric or a checklist, so that their feedback about strengths and weaknesses are specific.

Why use Peer Review?

The greatest advantage for using peer review is the reciprocal benefit to both the reader and the writer. Obviously, having someone else review your material or focus on specific aspects of your writing will result in feedback that can help you improve your paper. Additionally, the reviewer benefits in two particular ways: First, the peer reviewer is able to see alternative ways of presenting the same material and learn new writing techniques, especially if the reviewer and writer are students submitting assignments for the same course. Second, the act of constructively reviewing another’s piece of writing--with the intention of providing specific feedback--allows the reviewer to see their own writing in a new and critical way. Both of these advantages for the reviewer can help improve their own writing development.

Responsibilities of the Writer

As a writer, you should view this feedback as an opportunity to get constructive feedback from someone else. However, ultimately it is your piece of writing, so you must decide whether or not to make the changes suggested by the reviewer. Above all, you should be positive and open to accept the critical feedback of others, since the purpose is to help you improve your writing. Do not see the feedback as an attack on you but as an opportunity for learning how to make your writing better.

Responsibilities of the Reviewer

As a reviewer, it is important to remember that you have been invited to help another person by giving feedback about their work. Writers can feel vulnerable during this process so be respectful and professional, but honest, in your feedback. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow these five rules when reviewing another person’s paper:

1. Read the paper once without comments so that you get a feel for the whole piece.

2. Provide a focused summary of feedback that uses a rubric or a checklist to support your narrative comments.

3. Target big ideas or broad skills that will have a significant impact across the entire piece. For example, recommending that they reorganize certain parts so that the flow of ideas are smoother and more coherent is better than talking about the proper use of commas.

4. Use constructive criticism with sensitivity to the writer’s feelings by providing specific feedback about how to improve the piece, such as, “I liked this part and was wondering more about the context. Can you relate support of breast cancer awareness to the company’s mission or target market? How does the cause (breast cancer awareness) fit in with the company and what it is selling? How is this cause related to a social responsibility issue?

5. Be sure to identify what’s “good” in the paper as well as by being positive about the things the writer is doing right. Reinforce their efforts and those skills that make the piece effective. Think of the ”sandwich approach,” i.e., start with mentioning something good about their writing, discuss some areas for improvement, and then finish up with some suggestions for solving the weaknesses.