Effective Peer Review Discussion
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Read the Guidelines for Effective Peer Review (see Resources area) and answer the following questions:
- Why do you think peer review is important?
- What are important questions to ask when reviewing a peer’s paper?
- What do you think are important elements of peer review?
- What concerns do you have regarding peer review?
Guidelines for Effective Peer Review © Capella University Template version 1.1 1 Guidelines for Effective Peer Review The following guidelines are from the Capella University Writing Program. You can find more writing advice at Capella University’s Online Writing Center. Peer review can be one of the most beneficial aspects of writing, as it gives you the opportunity to test out your writing on an audience before you officially submit your work. However, engaging in peer review is not an easy task. It requires reviewers to be careful and thoughtful readers, as well as rigorous but tactful responders. It also requires writers to be open to feedback and willing to take that feedback seriously. A well-conducted peer review is a benefit to both writers and readers. Writers are able to determine what and how to revise in order to improve their writing, and readers are able to apply their comments and criticisms to their own writing. The following guidelines help you maximize the peer review experience for writers and readers. Feel free to add your own guidelines as you develop your skills as both a writer and a responder. Guidelines for WritersEffective Peer Review Discussion
• Be open to receiving constructive criticism. Remember, your peers’ comments reflect their perspective of what you have written. Their comments are not personally directed at you. • Look for patterns in the peer responses, because patterns indicate general issues you can focus on improving. For example, if your reviewers regularly comment on the absence of topic sentences, that should encourage you to focus on topic sentences as you are revising your work. • Do not begin revising your own writing until you have read through all the peer responses you have received. Look for commonalities among the comments and consider prioritizing the common issues. Do not simply implement one peer’s comments. • Before you begin revising, prioritize your work. Work on the global concerns first, such as transitions, flow, and confusing passages. Save the local concerns, such as grammar and spelling, for a later stage. • Remember, you have ultimate control over your writing. Make good rhetorical choices that you believe will lead to a better written text. Guidelines for Readers • Offer praise as well as criticism. Indicate what works well, because this shows the writer what habits he or she should continue. • Focus on global concerns before local ones.Effective Peer Review Discussion
It is more important for you to help the writer produce a unified, coherent, and intelligent piece of writing than a grammatically correct one. Grammar has its place, but it should not be your first concern as a peer reviewer. • Offer comments that are constructively critical, not rude or mean-spirited. Whenever possible, comment on the writing, not the writer. For example: “This paragraph confuses me because…,” is more effective than a blanket statement such as “You are © Capella University Template version 1.1 2 Guidelines for Effective Peer Review not clear here.” Remember that explanations about what does and does not work helps the writer more than short, cryptic notes. • Use peer review as a tool to teach yourself. As you note what works well and not so well, you can learn how to improve your own writing. Effective Peer Review Discussion