2. In the margins of the paper, use a wavy line to signal all of the
places where you were confused as a reader—in other words, where you notice
yourself wondering about wordings, not quite understanding the point, or
having to stop and re-read.
3. Number the paragraphs of the first two pages of the essay.
4. Complete a Peer Review Worksheet (on reverse).
5. Discuss the comments on your sheet with the essay writer.
Some things to remember when reading each other’s drafts…
*Be respectful of each other’s ideas and effort. Sharing work
with others is not easy. Don’t make it harder by engaging in unnecessarily
harsh criticism of each other’s work. But take the role of reader
seriously so that you can help each other out.
*Engage with each other’s ideas. While it can be helpful to point
out grammatical errors or awkwardness, you should focus on ideas, analysis
and interpretation.
*In your peer review, be sure to provide specific examples from the
essay to back up your comments. Note paragraph numbers in your comments
to help the writer make changes you suggest or respond to questions you
raise.
*Remember that the purpose of responding to other writers is to help
them to write a better paper in the end. Reading other people’s drafts
will help you to think more carefully about your own choices and strategies
as you work on argument and clarity in your own essay.
When finished, please return the essay draft and the peer review worksheet
to the essay writer. Essay writers: remember to submit your draft
and the peer review worksheet together with your final essay, in a folder
with your name on it. Papers are due in one week in tutorial.