Peer Review of Report/Proposal
Given the time constraints, you will probably only be able to get through one
proposal/report, so do as thorough and helpful a job as you can. Also, since these are
group projects, don’t worry so much about editing for things like punctuation, spelling,
etc. Worry more about problems with organization, language, logic, and visuals.
1. As you go through the document the first time, read for logic. Specifically indicate to
the author where you note a possible breakdown of the logical thread. It might be
simply a matter of sentence structure or inappropriate word choice, or it might be a
larger problem such as a lack of specific support or the order of presentation.
2. Look for particular language choices that negatively affect the tone of the document.
Where are the problem areas and why are they a problem?
3. Help the authors make sure that everything is in the right bucket. For instance, is
everything in the “Benefits” bucket related to benefits? Does “Methods” truly deal
with methods?
4. Are you able to identify any claims, large or small, that are not supported?
5. Are there any questions the document raises that it does not answer?
6. Assuming you know who the audience is, are there any choices or approaches that are
ill-conceived given that audience?
7. Look at the visuals. Are the visuals and text well integrated? Are all the visuals truly
accomplishing something that words might not be able to express as well?
8. Do you have any format suggestions for the visuals? Can you clearly discern the story
in the visual? Do the visuals offer an effective micro-level (digital) access when the
need is there?
9. Is the document accessible? Are the headings parallel and meaningful?
10. What about page design? Does the document design adhere to the four principles of
contrast, repetition, proximity, and contrast?
11. Is there any other advice you would like to forward to the authors?