Goal & Overview

Engaging in the peer review process benefits the writer by providing feedback to improve the quality of a draft, and benefits the reviewer by improving critical thinking and learning to identify features associated with clear, effective writing. This will help you better evaluate your own writing.

In this class, each portion of your paper will be peer reviewed by two classmates for revision prior to submission to your instructor. You should strive to make the draft you submit to your classmates the best possible draft you can produce. It is not a good use of your classmates' time to give suggestions for revisions you yourself already know you need to make. Out of respect for one another and to get the most benefit out of the process, allow time to produce a quality draft during the peer revision stage.

Instructions

Follow the following process when reading to provide feedback to others.

First skim the paper for an overall impression focusing on organization and effectiveness of the writing.
Reread for detail. Identify areas that are confusing or need more clarification or support. Offer recommendations for specific improvements.
You do not need to edit for grammar or spelling, but may point out errors made repeatedly (e.g., not italicizing scientific name). You should make a general comment about the overall quality of the writing. Most valuable to both you and the writer is your evaluation of the ideas. Are they presented logically, completely, and with sufficient support?
Identify strengths and weaknesses. Let the author know what they’ve done well while also identifying areas for improvement. Make sure you offer constructive criticism and advice.
Add notes and comments directly within the text and provide a paragraph at the end that summarizes your feedback.

Peer Review Logistics

Students should compose their drafts using Google Docs, with a separate document for each section (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) that will ultimately be merged in the final draft.
Students will submit their drafts in Canvas by linking to the corresponding Google Doc. You must change the sharing permissions on the link by doing the following:
- Click "Share" in the top right
- In the sharing window, select Anyone with the link can "comment." This will allow your classmates to insert comments and suggest edits, but not change the actual document. If the permission sharing was not done correctly it will prevent you classmates from reviewing your paper. The submission will be counted as late based on the number of days until it is corrected. At the bottom of this page you will find a video demonstration of how to do this.
- Once you have updated the sharing permission, click "copy link." This is the link you must use to submit your assignment.
Students should provide three types of feedback on their classmates' drafts. See the video at the bottom of the page for how to do this in Google Docs.
- suggested edits
- insert comments
- one paragraph that summarizes your feedback
Once your suggested edits and comments are inserted, your classmate will be able to view them.

Peer Review Rubric

To receive full credit (15 points), review must meet all of the following criteria

Submit their OWN draft on time. In order to receive points you must also submit your own draft on time. Students submitting late drafts will receive 0 for that section.
Minimum 6 constructive comments
Minimum 100 word paragraph summarizing feedback
If there are common grammatical errors (e.g., not italicizing scientific name), this should be pointed out
If student mis-interpreted requirements or mis-stated information, this should be pointed out
Both comments and summary paragraph must include suggestions for improvement. While I encourage comments emphasizing what you think the writer did well, this alone is not helpful to your classmate