87 Peer Review

Earlier in this chapter, we noted that writing is an inherently social process. You may feel alone while writing, but in fact, you “are carried on the backs of all the writers who came before [you]” (Goldberg 79). You draw on the ideas others have put out there, in other words. You might borrow a phrase here, summarize an idea there, put it all back together in a way unique to you, but you are part of something bigger than yourself. In newsrooms, social clubs, nonprofit organizations, Fortune 500 companies, it’s also standard practice to talk with or request feedback from someone else about your project so that you receive the most helpful suggestions for moving forward with the project.

For a writing class, that’s what peer-review is: sharing your composition with a fellow writer or group of fellow writers, receiving constructive feedback, and using that feedback to revise your work. Peer review, of course, is a bit more structured than talking about your project informally (though that step is very useful). For example, here’s the CARES approach to peer review, originally developed by The Online Writing Lab at Excelsior College:

The sharing process will help you continue writing or get you back on track. Also, keep in mind that it’s common to worry that peer review is not as beneficial as feedback from a mentor or teacher, and that many of us are shy about sharing our work. However, a major part of the writing process is thinking. Our peers can help us advance and enhance our inquiry processes.

When asking for feedback, for example, provide your readers with questions to answer about your writing. The more you can assist them in focusing on specific components of your writing that shape its reception, message, and success, the more targeted, constructive, and productive your feedback will be. Being specific about what kind of feedback you want can also help you and your peers overcome feelings of uncertainty about how to review someone else’s writing. To guide reviewers, here’s one set of questions, adapted from Emilie Zickel’s “Peer Review and Responding to Others’ Drafts.”

• What is the writer’s main point? State it or summarize it.
• What evidence (information, data, or examples) does the writer provide to support this main point?
• Is the writer consistently working toward achieving the assignment’s purpose? Why or why not?
• Describe the tone of the draft? Friendly? Authoritative? Lecturing? Humorous or sarcastic? Consider the intended audience of the draft: is this tone appropriate, persuasive, or otherwise effective?

As you can see, there are several approaches to peer review. All of them lead to skills you can take with you beyond the classroom because they require effective collaboration. Peer review, furthermore, provides new insight with regard to your work. Effective collaboration is so important, in fact, that you’ll find yourself using it in many future contexts as a writer, a working professional, and even as a community member.