Peer Reviews

Peer reviews are very important to students and professional writers alike. Both types of writers need feedback from others on their work. Most people have a hard time catching small mistakes when they read it to themselves, but by having someone else read it they get a fresh set of eyes to scope out mistakes. Throughout each level of schooling, whether it is elementary or college, peer reviewing is required for success. No matter how developed a writer is, they still have room for improvement. They can accidently make mistakes that they don’t even know. It is easy to type the wrong letter and then when reading over the paper, no catch that t instead of an l.

If I were in charge of peer reviews in class, I may change a few things. I would first have each reviewer fill out the sheet. I would have the writer read the paper first out loud to the reviewer, so that they may be able to find mistakes on their own. Finally, I would sit in groups so that many people can converse about an awkward part in a paper in order to help the author.

Having each reviewer fill out the peer review sheet is helpful because understanding one’s mistakes by only talking to the reviewer may end with forgotten suggestions. It is very easy to forget small details that could make or break the paper. If the author has the suggestions down on paper then it is easier for him/her to understand where they went wrong and could improve.

Reading the paper aloud for the reviewer benefits both parties. The author is hearing how the work sounds before they let someone else read it; therefore, they may catch grammatical mistakes. It helps the reviewer because they can listen for parts in the paper that the author may sound like they want help. For instance, if they author stumbles around a sentence then it is important for the reviewer to go back and look at the particular sentence in question.

Sitting in a group is very help because it allows the reviewer and author to see many other papers by other authors to compare their work off of. It allows the author to gain ideas by talking to the other peers about particular parts in their paper where they are stuck. I would allow the students to pick their groups because I believe that they would work harder in the groups that they pick instead of mandated groups. They would take it more seriously and give better feedback.

All of these changes would make the author gain more knowledge (sometimes more then they want) about their paper and also improve their work. Sitting in groups, reading aloud, and having feedback in writing from multiple reviewers gives the author a lot to work with and benefit from.