ALVAREZ—ENGL 122

Participation in our Peer Review Workshop is worth up to 4 points toward your paper grade; point
value for your response are assessed based on effort, care and attentiveness to your responsibilities as
a peer editor. Taking your partner’s and your own work seriously and with care is essential to both the
success of the peer review workshop and this portion of your portfolio grade. Have fun! 

Expository/Analytical Research Essay Peer Review/Workshop Guidelines:

Carefully read your partner’s essay; you may take notes in your notebook or on your computer to
remind yourself of certain elements of the paper you would like to comment on further. After you
have read and re-read your partner’s essay, you will type out your responses based on the following
guidelines.

Note: please make sure your full name and our section # is on your response; your partner will keep
this response and include it in their paper portfolio. Your response will be the basis of the grade for the
workshop.

Your response will be broken down into two major elements: 1. Responding as audience/reader,
“Emotional Response” and 2. Responding as a research writer, “Critical Response”. Please
follow the step-by-step guidelines to complete your Peer Review responses below:

Step One: Emotional Response (responding as audience/reader):

After you have carefully read your partner’s essay, please type a 3 - 5 minute initial response. This
response is strictly positive, relational and “emotional” in that you relate and discuss what this essay
made you feel and think about. What did it make you think or question? What do you feel you “walk
away with” as a reader after this first reading? What did it remind you of? What do you feel you
learned? What “got” or “moved” you? Why/how? After you have typed out your “Emo Response,”
enter for a new line to begin the second and much more in-depth response explained below.

Step Two: Critical Response (responding as a research writer):

Remember, “critical” DOES NOT mean “negative”; rather, it means a thoughtful analysis with the
intent to help your partner develop the potential of their work through your added perspective. For
this segment of your written response, you must type a minimum 30 minute response which addresses
each of the Content and Form elements listed below; you should set up your response based on the
following breakdown:

Responding to Content:

1. Intro: Does the essay attempt to “catch” your attention as a reader with a strategic “hook” as
an introduction? Thesis Element: is there a clearly stated thesis? Do you feel the thesis is
supported and maintained throughout the essay?

2. Supporting examples & research: Please discuss the supporting research and examples
provided. You may select one or two elements in the paper you think should be revised or
developed further, and explain why. Questions you may wish to consider and include in your
discuss are:
 o Does the research provided work to develop and support the thesis of the essay?
o Is there any point in the paper where you feel the author’s voice is “lost” to the sources
provided? Where/how?
o Do you have any suggestions for strengthening the research provided in the essay?

3. Analysis: does the writer provide their own discussion and analysis of the research and topic?
You may select one or two elements or moments in the paper you think could be developed
further and explain why.
o Do you feel that the paper gets to the heart or the “So what?” of the matter? Why/why
not? What would you suggest?
o What do you need as a reader in terms of analysis?

4. Conclusion: does the essay have a functioning conclusion? Does the conclusion “mirror” the
voice/style/thesis of the introduction while “reflecting” the totality of the paper as a whole?
What suggestions do you have as a writer and a reader?

Responding to Form: Part I— Essay Structure & Development:

1. Essay Structure: does the essay provide clear and distinct paragraphs of discussion including:
o clear, evident and maintained topics as well as smooth transitions from paragraph to
paragraph?
o Do you have any suggestions for solidifying the structure (or “flow”) of the essay?

2. Do you feel any aspects of the essay are underdeveloped or perhaps misplaced for you as a
reader? Why/how? What do you suggest?

3. Language Clarity: are there any moments in the essay where you feel the communication
breaks down due to grammar or mechanics concerns? You can point to a few instances where
you feel your partner should revise for clarity.

Responding to Form: Part II— Citation & MLA Format:

Please check for misuse or errors in each of the following citation categories. You do NOT need to
point out more than one example of misuse or error in each category. Use your book and handouts as a
guide to assist you in this process:

1. Header, margins, font and basic MLA page style requirements

2. Parenthetical Citation
3. Paraphrasing (please check at least ONE paraphrase with the source of the paraphrase; discuss
whether or not you think the paraphrase has been rendered properly and presents the
information in a new form, or if you believe there is evidence of inadvertent plagiarism and tell
your partner where/how)
4. Long & Short Quotes (Use your handouts to make sure the quotes are introduced and set up
properly; cite one example of misuse)
5. Works Cited (Use your book to check the citations provided in the Works Cited page)

Step Three—Discussion:
After you read over and share your responses with your partner, please take at least 10 minutes to
discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the responses. After your discussion, please
make sure you keep the responses your partner wrote for you to include in your portfolio.

Remember, your portfolio must include (check out our “Portfolio Guidelines” for specifics):

“Source Copies Side One”:

--Annotated copies of each source, individually stapled, as they appear in the paper
--cited passages (quoted, summarized, or paraphrased) need to be annotated (marked off by square
bracket or highlighted, with the appropriate citation noted; you can abbreviate if you’d like: "P" for
paraphrase, "Q" for quote, etc. and the page number)

“Paper Side Two”:

--Paper One Reflection Letter (brief letter describing one “success” and one struggle with/in the paper)
--Paper (Final Draft)
--Peer Review Response (include the response sheet your partner wrote about your paper; your
partner will include your response in their portfolio)
--Proposal
--Journals & Misc notes

Congrats! 