What Every Student Should Know About Practicing Peer Review

This helpful guide teaches students how to effectively and constructively evaluate each other’s work -- a common requirement in first-year writing courses. Students are taught what to look for in a paper during various stages of the writing process (thesis, outline, supporting details, and so forth), and how to give the most effective and useful feedback. Different methods for practicing peer review, such as in-class, one-on-one, collaborative, are discussed with special attention given to online peer evaluation.

I. Peer Review -- brief introduction to this edition

1. Traditional

a. Definition and overview of types

            i. Early draft

                        1. Common practices

                        2. Purposes

                        3. Advantages/ disadvantages

            ii. Developed draft

                        1. Common practices

                        2. Purposes

                        3. Advantages/ disadvantages

b. Group dynamics

            i. How to select peer reviewers

            ii. Things to remember about responding to others’ writing

            iii. Negotiating and commenting on difficult content

2. Electronic

a. Definition and overview of types

            i. Word Processors (tracked changes)

                        1. Common practices

                        2. Purposes

                        3. Advantages/ disadvantages

            ii. Distribution (message boards, list serves, courseware)

                        1. Common practices

                        2. Purposes

                        3. Advantages/ disadvantages

            iii. Specific web hosted software (exchange)

                        1. Common practices

                        2. Purposes

                        3. Advantages/ disadvantages

b. Group Dynamics

            i. How to select peer reviewers

            ii. Things to remember about responding to others’ writing using technology

            iii. Negotiating and commenting on difficult content

3. Additional resources

a. Sample early draft with comments

b. Sample developed draft with comments

c. A Revised draft

d. Additional reading (perhaps a list of page numbers corresponding to peer review sections from Pearson’s handbooks)