Peer Review Assignment

Global Revision Checklist
Review the essay’s title as well as its
introduction and conclusion. Think about the
relationships among these three components. Do
they match or do they disagree Make note of
strengths and weaknesses in these crucial areas.
Find the essay’s thesis. Is it clear Is it well
positioned Does it meet all facets of the
assignment Review the written assignment to
ensure that your peer’s thesis is on target. Make
note of strengths and weaknesses.
Identify the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Do they all relate to the thesis Are they all
arguable, interpretive claims Make note of
strengths and weaknesses.
Identify the specific evidence from the primary
source(s) used to support each claim. Is the
evidence well chosen Is it well integrated Is it
interpreted and analyzed Make note of strengths
and weaknesses.
Observe the essay’s development of analytical
paragraphs. Does each paragraph involve
claim, context, evidence, analysis, commentary/
synthesis How might your peer improve the
development of analytical paragraphs
Identify specific uses of expert opinion. Are
these uses appropriate to the argument Are they
well chosen Are they interpreted and
commented upon Make note of strengths and
weaknesses.
Think carefully about the assumptions your peer
is making about how evidence relates to claim,
about what readers need or value, or about the
qualification/authority of sources. Are any of
these warrants problematic In other words,
does your peer expect the evidence to “speak for
itself” If so, this is a problem! Make note of
strengths and weaknesses.
Editing/Proofreading Checklist
Identify the writer’s transitions: words,
phrases and sentences that link ideas together
in the essay. Are they consistently effective
in creating a coherent argument Make note
of strengths or weaknesses in this area.
Are sentence structures correct and
effective, or are there fragments, comma
splices and fused sentences
Is grammar used effectively, or are there
errors in such issues as subject/verb
agreement, part of speech, pronoun case,
etc.
Examine the essay’s diction: Are words used
correctly and effectively, or are there
examples of words that have been misused or
are not thoroughly understood
Examine the citation of quoted or
paraphrased textual evidence. Is it ethically
and accurately cited according to MLA
citation style Make note of strengths and
weaknesses in this area
Are words consistently spelled correctly Is
the punctuation clear and effective Is the
essay free of distracting typos and other
mechanical errors
Does the essay follow the assigned format
completely and accurately