Peer Review


PROCEDURE: Read the entire composition thoroughly. Then go back through these questions and use them to respond to your peer's paper in writing. I suggest copying and pasting this material into your reply, and then answering these questions. The essay writer should then use this information to revise their paper.

1. Is there a title? Suggest a creative one that represents, not just describes, the essay’s topic.

2. Introduction: How well does the essay relate the paper’s main points and goals? Point to any words or phrases you think need to be specified. Is the topic of the essay clear?   

3. Thesis: What does this essay attempt to accomplish? The 1- to 3-sentence response to this question is called a thesis or controlling idea. Ideally, the point of a paper is argumentative, meaning that it poses a point of view which one defends. Is the thesis argumentative? If so, you should be able to identify a reasonable counter-argument. In other words, what is the OPPOSITE of the paper’s argument?

4. Supporting paragraphs: Does each paragraph introduce its topic clearly with a leading sentence? List any examples of paragraphs that need to be combined, separated, or maybe rearranged for clarity.

5. Analysis and Interpretation: How valid is the support for the paper's argument? Suggest where more (or better) evidence might be provided.

6. Citation: In what ways does the writer distinguish between her opinions, and those of the author of outside sources? I suggest using phrases such as “according to author X,” “author X argues that/suggests that,” “this article makes the point that/illustrates that,” etc.. Cite an example of where such phrases occur or suggest where to employ them.

7. Conclusion: Is the concluding paragraph conclusive without being repetitive? Does it remind the reader why it was worth reading this paper?