1. Northeastern Writing Center
Peer Review
Northeastern Writing Center

2. Writing Center Quick Facts
A free service for undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, faculty, and alumni
Appointments are 45 minutes long
Clients can bring in any piece of writing that they’re working on and receive friendly feedback from a knowledgeable peer who may be an undergraduate student, graduate student, or faculty/staff member.
Writers can meet with their consultants online, at our Holmes Hall location, or our Snell Library location.
Consultants don’t edit papers, but they are happy to work with writers on their grammar, word choices, and structure
MORE INFO: northeastern.edu/writingcenter
ABOUT US: Youtube Video

3. What students should have in this session
Printed Copy Peer Review
one printed copy of your draft to class (with your name on it)
Pen/Pencil OR
Electronic Peer Review
your complete draft submitted to the correct platform before class
A device that lets you read someone else’s work in a large format (laptop or tablet)

4. Peer Review: Today’s steps
1. Writer’s Note: reflect on your own essay. (8 min.)
2. Reader’s Note: read and respond to your partner’s essay. (30 min)
3. Discuss (15 min.)
4. Build a Revision Plan (5 min.)

5. What’s your role during peer review?
To be an active reader
To listen to your partner’s ideas
To see if your partner’s paragraphs are effectively telling the story of their core idea
To learn from others by seeing how they approached the writing task
To check that you and your partner are meeting the assignment requirements

6. What’s not your role during peer review?
To offer simplistic good/bad value judgments on the writing
To nitpick on grammar
To “fix” your partner’s writing

7. Want a great peer review session? Certain things need to happen.
WRITERS NEED TO:
Be open to feedback; be curious about your reader’s response
Be willing to be vulnerable; try to trust your partner and put aside defensiveness /nerves.
READERS NEED TO
Be kind and honest
Pay attention to strengths and weaknesses
Provide specific, concrete suggestions
Read critically (not superficially)
Give feedback as a reader, not as a writer who would step in and “take over”

8. 1. Writer’s Note (8 min.)
Take a few minutes to write a note for your reader that addresses these three questions:
Where is your draft in process? (e.g. first draft, ninth draft, started last night)
Assess your own piece. What is working and what isn’t?
What sort of feedback, specifically, are you looking for from your partner today?

9. 2. Reader’s Note (30 min.)
Swap drafts with your partner. In your first reading, aim to be “hands off.” While you’re reading there are three moves you can make:
i. Create a Reverse Outline that records what you think your partner was trying to do in each section. You can create a bullet-point list on a separate piece of paper, or you can leave notes in the margins.
ii. Write a short letter telling them what you noticed. Try to use 4-5 of the helpful moves (next slide) and address the concerns you see in the Writer’s Note.
iii. Save editing suggestions in a second or third round of reading… but wait! Do this last and only if you really know the rules. . .

10. Short Letter: Helpful Moves
Summarizing: “Overall, you seem to be arguing…”
Glossing: “The word … seems to capture this section of writing”
Responding “As I read this part, I …”
Pointing: “What’s most important here is …. What’s missing is ….”
Extending: “You could also apply this to … What would happen if you …?”
Encouraging: “This section works well for me because …”
Suggesting: “If I were you, I would …. You could move this …”
Soliciting: “Could you say more here?”
Connecting: “That’s like what X says…” “I saw some research on this…”
Evaluating: “This source is well integrated”
Counter-arguing: “Others might argue …”
Questioning: “Why do you say …? What do you mean by …?”
Not so helpful
“I like it”
“I hate it”
“It’s okay”
“It’s good.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing”

11. 3. Return & Discuss (10-15 min)
Return the drafts to each other. Take a few minutes to vocalize what was working well and what could be improved.
Focus on the top 2-3 things you’d suggest for each other for revision.

12. 4. Build a Revision Plan (5 min.)
Jot down 3-5 things that you plan to do to prepare your final draft: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Prioritize the bigger picture ideas of your essay (e.g. missing evidence, unclear paragraphs, more research or analysis)

13. Notes Adapted from materials used by Kyle Oddis and Neal Lerner.
APA Citation: Northeastern Writing Center (2018). Peer Review [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from

14. Make an appointment at the Writing Center
APPOINTMENTS & INFO
northeastern.edu/writingcenter
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