Revising with Peer Feedback
In college, you are usually writing not just for yourself but for others, so it is useful to obtain feedback from at least one other person. Often, instructors will assign students to peer review—that is, read and comment on—each other’s drafts. Having another student read your paper from a fresh perspective can help you uncover any problems with organization and support.
When your draft is being peer reviewed, consider these strategies to make the most use of peer feedback.
- Be a good listener. Ultimately, your peers should be able to give you information about how readable your text is because they are, in fact, your readers. Listen to what they have to say, and if you aren’t sure you understand a comment, ask for clarification. In addition, avoid the temptation to explain the reason behind a revision before your reader has finished reading and responding. Otherwise, you are basically saying, “Here’s why I did this. Tell me I’m right.”
- Expect disagreement. Readers read differently, and their advice comes from their prior experiences, knowledge, and engagement. Professional reviewers often give authors conflicting advice, so you should also expect your peers to give you suggestions and feedback that do not match up. Thinking your way through the reviewers’ differing opinions can be very productive. Try to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each perspective and then make your choice about how to revise.
- Invite helpful comments. Encourage reviewers to identify both strong and weak sections. Some peers may feel uncomfortable providing negative feedback; by letting them know you are open to criticism, they may be more likely to open up. Also, help reviewers who seem unwilling or unable to provide any feedback. Have a few questions or specific areas of focus ready, such as, “Do you think the introduction is strong enough?” or “I’m not sure I’m happy with the third paragraph. Can you make a few suggestions?” Finally, if a reviewer’s comments are too general or vague, ask for more specific points.
- Show appreciation. When you show appreciation for their perspectives, readers will usually respond by giving you more feedback. Listen to and engage with your readers’ comments. When you hear something that seems especially insightful or that makes something clearer for you, say so. And always thank your readers at the end of the session for taking the time to respond.
- Take responsibility. There’s nothing that will annoy your peer reviewers more than if you don’t take responsibility for your own writing. It’s fine to say that you don’t know something in response to a question, but then take the next step and find out. Even more important, avoid being defensive about your writing; if reviewers feel that you are unwilling to hear constructive criticism, they will be unlikely to provide you with suggestions.
- Manage expectations. Sometimes the peer review process can be overwhelming. You may come out of a particularly critical session feeling like you can’t do anything right. Remember, the goal in peer review is to get your classmates to help you improve your paper. If too many negative comments leave you feeling defeated, try asking your peers to identify places where the paper is working. Chances are you’ve got some good ideas in there to build on. It’s important not to lose sight of the progress you are making.
- Analyze the results. Don’t assume the peer review process alone will give you everything you need to improve your paper. Be sure to review all the feedback you get and work with the most promising comments and suggestions as you revise your draft.
When you find yourself in the reviewer’s position, remember that it’s often easier to see the problems in someone else’s paper than it is to see in your own. But it’s not always easy to think of good suggestions, to identify flaws that need fixing, and—hardest of all—to break the news to a classmate that his or her work is less than perfect. Below are some quick tips for providing effective peer review.
- Be empathetic. Don’t forget there is a person behind that paper.
- Start with something positive. Almost every draft can benefit from improvements, but most also have strengths. By opening with a focus on the positive, you will build the writer’s confidence and show that you find the writing to be worthwhile. Say something like, “You did a great job on _____, but I had a few questions about ____.”
- Be a mirror. As a peer reviewer, your task is not to evaluate the essay as a teacher would but to act as a mirror, reflecting back what you see. Rather than making a judgment about whether something is good or bad, stay close to the page, making observations on specific words and paragraphs so that the reviewer can hear how you understand them. Also, make sure to focus on the right things: especially when you are looking at the early stages of a draft, the substance of the paper matters much more than grammatical mistakes.
- Try nutshelling. When drafting essays, writers often have trouble making their most important ideas stand out; it’s easy for ideas to get lost, especially in long paragraphs. As a peer reviewer, you can use nutshelling—summarizing each paragraph to its basic thought—to help a writer see which points are coming across—and which aren’t.
- Focus on the work. It may be tempting to discuss the topic of the paper, but asking your peer to tell you more about his or her experience or, worse, telling him or her about your opinions and experiences, won’t help. In addition, avoid judgmental reactions, even if the topic bothers you. Keep in mind that it is your job to help your peer improve his or her paper, not his or her life. Remember this boundary as you are forming your responses and keep the focus on the work.
- Talk the peer review talk. Knowing and using terms such as thesis, organization, purpose, perspective, and audience, will help you focus on global concerns and be specific. Knowing and occasionally drawing on tried-and-true formulas for peer review commentary will help you if you get stuck. Here are some examples:
- I think this approach and your tone is perfect for the audience because ________.
- Here I expected _______ instead of __________ . Why did you make that choice?
- You got my attention here by ___________.
- What about ________? There are other perspectives on this topic.
- This part reminded me of your earlier point about ______. Can you add a transition that connects them?
- I had to read this sentence twice to understand your meaning. Can you simplify it?