Tips to be a Great Peer Reviewer

 

Why practice peer review?

 

Peer reviewing is a great way to get another set of eyes on your paper. Sometimes it can be helpful to have someone with a fresh perspective (who hasn’t been staring at the same paper for hours) take a look at your paper. Sometimes they may see and hear things that we as authors may overlook. Peer reviewers provide the reader’s perspective; they can let us know what parts were especially interesting and also what parts could use clarification. Furthermore, sometimes reading another person’s paper (as a peer reviewer) can give us new ideas about how to approach writing; we can learn from each other’s writing skills. Additionally, it’s interesting to read what your peers are writing! Peer reviewing supports the idea of collaborative learning.

 

Peer Reviewing Tips

 

  • Ask what the author would like you to specifically focus on (e.g., following the prompt, using correct grammar, developing supportive claims, using correct APA format, etc.).

 

  • Read the assignment prompt first to understand the purpose of the paper.

 

  • Read the paper carefully.

 

  • Be constructive, but also supportive and productive. Be sensitive about how you give feedback.

 

  • Focus on strengths. Ask the author what s/he think worked well in the paper and identify what you think the author did particularly well.

 

  • Focus on specific take away skills. What are specific things that the author can do to strengthen the paper (e.g. double check that all in-text citations are correct, make sure that the headings all have the same format, re-read the paper for redundancy).

 

  • Make sure you understand the paper. Is it clear? What, if anything, seems to be missing? What other info would you want to know to make it clearer? Could you easily follow the paper?

 

  • Treat it like it’s your own paper -- with the same amount of care and respect.

 

  • Don’t argue with the author. It’s okay to disagree with the author. Anything you suggest is simply that -- a suggestion.

 

  • As the author, try not to get defensive when the peer reviewer suggests something.

 

  • Turn it into a conversation. Be collaborative.

 

  • Be mindful of the time. If you can’t read the whole paper, ask the author if there is a specific section on which you can focus.