1. Looking at Texts from a Reader’s Perspective
Peer Review:
Looking at Texts from a Reader’s Perspective
Rationale: Welcome to “Peer Review.” This presentation is designed to acquaint your students with the concept of peer review. This presentation will include the who, what, where, when, and why of peer review. The slides presented here are designed to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation of the elements of peer review. This presentation is ideal for any level of writing, including freshman composition. This presentation may be supplemented with OWL resources:
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click, unless otherwise noted in bold at the bottom of each notes page.
Writer and Designer: Jo Doran, 2007
Design Contributor and Revising Author: Veronika Maliborska, 2014
Developed with resources courtesy of the Purdue University Writing Lab
© Copyright Purdue University, 2007.
Purdue OWL staff
Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab

2. What is Peer Review? Seeing someone’s text from your own perspective
Explaining to them how you ‘see’ it
Being kind, yet honest, in the process
It is easy to assume that people know what we are talking about, but too often we do not fully explain ourselves.
That is why it is good to have ‘another pair of eyes,’ so to speak.
It is also helpful to have one of our peers look at our writing… someone who thinks like we do.
That is where review from a peer is so helpful.
While most readers are ‘friendly readers’ in that they try to follow along with our ideas, peer review gives us valuable feedback at any point in our writing.
Image licensed under Creative Commons:
Click mouse for each paragraph.

3. Tutors at the Writing Lab
Who should do peer review
Who can read your paper?
Peers
Friends
Tutors at the Writing Lab
Instructors
Peers… because they probably think like you.
Instructors… because they know what they hope to teach you.
Friends… because they can catch mistakes you do not see.
Tutors at Purdue’s Writing Lab… because they are trained to work with writing needs
Other students, who are taking the same classes, probably think similarly to you.
Therefore, they are good prospects for honest and helpful peer review feedback.
Students also have to see their instructors as helpful peer review individuals… but students need to rely on people other than just the instructor.
Encouragement by instructors, regarding the positive nature of in-class peer review, will help strengthen students’ acceptance of peer review.
Students often ask roommates to look over their papers. This can be helpful, but more often it is best to encourage students to make appointments at the writing lab.
Purdue’s Writing Lab is a very safe and helpful place to go with writing questions, needs, or just feedback.

4. When Does Peer Review Work Best
When you need overall feedback:
How does it sound?
What do you think?
Does it make sense?
When you need specific feedback:
Thesis statement
Topic Sentences/concluding sentences
Organization
Syntax, Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
Just like the ‘what’ of peer review, students need peer review at different stages of their writing.
Students often think ‘revising’ means to edit: Fix grammar errors, correct spelling, etc.
Earlier-stage peer review is a good way to help students understand revision and to see revision as more in-depth work.
Peer Review is a good way to model the importance of audience awareness to students.

5. The ‘Why’ of Peer Review
Why does Peer Review work?
We see our writing ‘through’ another person.
We see how other students think and write.
We see others’ writing strengths & weaknesses.
We see new ideas and new ways of explaining ideas.
We learn to look at our own writing in a different way.
Students often express their initial dislike of peer review feedback.
Students often go into peer review only thinking about what they will ‘receive’ from others.
Those students who benefit the most from peer review are those who - through working through the entire process - find that they learn more about their own writing by peer reviewing another peer’s text than they do by receiving feedback from others.
This does not mean that feedback does not help, but peer review works from both ‘ends.’

6. The ‘How’ of Peer Review
When you are confused while reading:
Mark an ‘X’ in the text where you are confused
Ask the writer to explain his or her ideas
Ask the writer to state his or her thesis
Ask the writer to state the question the thesis answers
Help the writer to brainstorm (mapping, outlining, etc.)
Ask the writer to fill in the blanks:
My purpose in this paper is _________________
My purpose in this section is ________________
Peer Review Handouts are very helpful to students. Providing students with a list of questions gives them a place to start.
Additionally - and perhaps more importantly - is the need to model peer review with the class as a whole before students begin the process themselves.

7. The ‘How’ of Peer Review
If you cannot see the point:
Ask the writer ‘So what?’ questions, for example:
What does this sentence have to do with your thesis?
What does this paragraph have to do with the paper?
Counter the writer’s stance or thesis
Bring up other perspectives
Offer more examples and details to the writer
The ‘So What’ maneuver is often helpful to writers as it gets them to be more specific.
Talking through a text can give the writer new ideas.
Playing devil’s advocate can be helpful as long as things stay positive. Students have to remember that it is more important to be helpful and positive than to be negative and critical.
In the end, it is up to the writer-not the peer reviewer.

8. Where to Go for More Help Purdue University Writing Lab, Heavilon 226
Check our web site:
brief questions to OWL Mail:
Notes:
The Writing Lab is located on the West Lafayette Campus in room 226 of Heavilon Hall. The lab is open 9:00am-6:00 pm. OWL, Online Writing Lab, is a reach resource of information. Its address is And finally, you can your questions to OWL Mail at and our tutors will get back to you promptly.