Peer Review: Improve Your Problem-Solving Essay

One of the biggest challenges writers face is reading a draft of their own work as a reader rather than as the writer. Because you know what you’re trying to say, you find it easy to understand your draft. To determine what you should do to revise your draft, ask a friend or classmate to read your essay and to assess how well you have adopted the role of problem solver by answering the following questions.

Purposeimage
  1. Is my problem definition sufficiently narrow and focused? Is it clear and easy to understand?
  2. Do you believe the problem is significant? Why or why not?
  3. Is my solution clearly presented? Does it seem like a reasonable response to the problem I’ve defined?
Readersimage
  1. Were you aware of the problem before you read the essay? Are other readers likely to be familiar with it? Do I need to say more about it to help readers understand?
  2. Are you convinced that my solution can work? Does it seem feasible? Why or why not?
  3. Have I presented ideas fairly? Are you aware of any potential objections or alternative solutions that I should have addressed?
Sourcesimage
  1. Does the evidence I’ve offered to define the problem and support my proposed solution make sense? Can I add or clarify anything to help you understand the problem and solution better? Do you think any of the evidence is unnecessary?
  2. Do my sources strike you as reliable and appropriate? Does any of the evidence I’ve used seem questionable?
Contextimage
  1. Have I taken my readers’ knowledge, assumptions, and values into consideration?
  2. Would any of the information I’ve drawn on in this essay be better presented in visual form? Could I make changes in page layout, color, shading, or rules to improve the essay’s appearance?

For each of the points listed above, ask your reviewers to provide concrete advice about what you should do to improve your draft. It can help if you ask them to adopt the role of an editor — someone who is working with you to improve your draft. You can read more about peer review in Chapter 4.