2. Peer Review and What to Do

Handling Peer Review

Your second task for the week is to return to the Peer Review Workshop to find your peers' feedback. This will be available starting around noon on Monday. To view this, please return to the workshop in Week 3. You'll see your peers' feedback at the bottom of the page. You'll also see two grades: one for submitting your work on time, and one for providing timely feedback. 

toy frog sitting on coffee cup that says "today is gonna be a good day"You will likely find excellent feedback and commentary from your peers. However, sometimes, that excellent feedback can feel pretty critical at a moment when you're feeling vulnerable for having shared your work. This is a normal reaction to a critique. Even professional writers often despise and dread criticism, even when it's given kindly. Please make sure you do the following:

  • Focus on what your peers said was working in your paper. These are things you can expand on!
  • Focus on what your peers said your paper was about. If they don't yet understand, think of ways you can further detail your story and point.
  • Finally, look at the questions they've asked as you try to add and revise the paper. Answer their questions somewhere, whether it's in the paper or in writing that you don't end up using. 

And, of course, remember that all feedback is just about a specific group of words on a specific day. It's not about you as a person or a writer. It's just those words on some screen on one day. Today's a different day! You're already a better writer.

After you've read and absorbed their feedback, take the short Feedback Review survey. You need to know the names of your reviewers and have the review nearby so you can fill that out. It will help me shape our groups in the future.