CWLT, Fall 2014
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Peer Review Workshop for First-Year Seminars: A
Resource Paper for Faculty
Goals
The goal of workshop is to provide students with the skills of scholarly peer review including:
1.) how to become better editors of their work and the work of peers, and
2.) how to incorporate feedback during the revision process.
Objectives
Students will practice strategies for effective peer evaluation, practice creating revision plans,
and discuss ways to apply peer review strategies to independent revision processes.
Materials
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A Peer Review worksheet. This can be a document co-created by students.
Hard Copy of Draft*
Pencil or Pen
*Whether you conduct peer review using hard or digital copies is up to you. Here is
information to help you make that decision:
The advantages of hard copies and handwritten feedback: Some students do not own computers,
so privileging computer use becomes a problem. Also, computers in the classroom can be
distracting. There are also studies that indicate the nature and depth of typed edits is different
from handwritten suggestions and feedback.
The advantages of using Track Changes: Some students prefer this type of editing. It
familiarizes students with a Microsoft Word feature that is often used in the professional world.
It also allows the professor to keep track of the editing process of uploaded papers.
Instructions
Have students read drafts focusing on content rather than sentence level concerns
 LOCs are Lower Order Concerns like sentence structure and spelling.
 HOCs are Higher Order Concerns like thesis/focus and organization.
Students should understand that as reviewers, we focus our attention on HOCs because that is
where an essay communicates its purpose and logic. This discussion lets students know that they
are not expected to copyedit drafts but to provide suggestions about more substantive concerns.
It also helps to remind them that it doesn’t make sense to focus on LOCs if the sentences need to
change to address HOC issues. This discussion has the additional benefit of establishing the
expectations students should have for papers graded by their professors.
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For more information on HOCs and the revision process, students can consult the CWLT web
page on this subject here, http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academicresources/cwlt/writing-advisor-schedule/writing-resources/revision/
Examples of Peer Review Worksheet Questions
Title: Does the title suggest the issue that is explored in the essay? Does it suggest the
academic discipline and subject matter? Is the title interesting?
Introduction: Does it frame the question you will be addressing in the paper? Does it explain
why the essay is important? Does it provide enough background information about the topic(s)
being addressed? Be specific. Refer to specific language or page numbers.
Thesis: Is the thesis easy to identify? Is it argumentative? Does it encapsulate the point of the
entire paper? Be specific. Refer to specific language or page numbers.
Claims: Is there an argumentative claim at the beginning of each paragraph? Do these claims
relate directly to/support the thesis? Looking only at claims, is there a clear progression of ideas
rather than a repetition of a previous one? Be specific. Refer to specific language or page
numbers.
Organization and Analysis: Do paragraphs contain too much summary as opposed to the
writer’s original arguments and analysis? Is the essay’s organization logical—does there
continue to be a clear progression of ideas? Be specific. Refer to specific language or page
numbers.
Evidence: Are direct quotations properly embedded in the body of the text? Are they properly
introduced and explained? Are the quotes included in the essay followed by the writer’s own
analysis and explanation of their significance? Is there variation in the use of evidence? Is
evidence sometimes quoted, summarized, or paraphrased? Be specific. Refer to specific
language or page numbers.
Transitions: Are there transition sentences that guide the reader from one idea to the next?
Does this happen within a paragraph? Does this happen from one paragraph to the next? Be
specific. Refer to specific language or page numbers.
CWLT, Fall 2014
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Conclusion: Does the conclusion tie together the main arguments of the paper without directly
restating the thesis? Does it provide the reader with a sense of closure? Does it end on some
wider point? Be specific. Refer to specific language or page numbers.
What did the writer do especially well? What areas could benefit from additional revision?
DIFFERENT MODELS* FOR IN-CLASS WORKSHOP
1.) Peer review can happen during a single class period. With this model, students exchange
drafts, review, and discuss drafts during a class period.
2.) Peer review can happen at home. With this model, students exchange drafts in class and
take the drafts home to read and review. Discussion of feedback can happen during the
next class period.
With either model, students can be paired or placed into groups of 3 or more. With pairs,
each student reads only one peer draft. With groups of 3 or more, students read multiple
drafts; they read each paper of the peers in their group.
*The benefit of letting students take drafts home is that they get to spend more time
reading and reviewing, which means that they usually can provide more helpful
feedback.
The benefit of working in class is that students must remain focused because of time
constraints. They also get to discuss the reviewed paper when their ideas are fresh.
The benefit of letting students work one-on-one is more time spent reviewing and
commenting.
The benefit of reviewing multiple drafts includes the opportunity to see different
approaches to one assignment, and receiving multiple suggestions for revision.
HELPING STUDENTS PLAN FOR REVISION
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
Have students identify common feedback they received from reviewers.
Ask students to consider the usefulness and practicality of the feedback.
Have students write a paragraph that explains their plans for revision.
Suggest that students take their reviewed paper home and read it out loud. They should
listen for lower-level concerns, like a tendency to use run-on sentences, consistency of
verb tense, over-use of the passive voice, and minor grammatical errors that affect the
readability of the essay.
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