Peer review workshops help you improve your writing through feedback from a classmate. In this post, we discuss peer review workshops and offer tips for getting the most out of peer review.
What is a peer review workshop?
Many college writing classes feature peer review workshops in which you read a fellow student’s paper. Peer review workshops are great opportunities for receiving feedback from other students and for asking questions you may have about your draft.
Instructors may grade your participation in a peer review workshop or ask you to turn in a draft during the session. To make the most out of a peer review session, you’ll want to come prepared.
Peer review workshop tips
1. Prepare a clean copy of your paper
Most peer review workshops will require you to bring a clean copy of your paper to class with you. This will be the copy that you share with a fellow classmate for review.
If some of your paper is still in outline or notes form, make sure to clearly indicate that in the draft. For example, you could make unfinished sections a different color from the main text.
2. Review the workshop guidelines
If your instructor has assigned specific guidelines for the peer review workshop, you’ll want to review those beforehand so that you are ready to fully participate.
Your instructor may ask you to simply exchange papers with a peer for silent reading or to read your paper aloud to a fellow classmate or small group.
3. Be receptive to feedback
It’s important that you attend the peer review workshop with an open mind. In many cases, a classmate may notice a weakness in your argument or evidence that you’ve missed.
You’ll also be required to give feedback, as well as receive it. In order to do so effectively, you should be well rested before, and attentive during, the session.
4. Do some light proofreading
You should lightly proofread your paper for any striking mistakes before you bring it to the workshop. This will allow the peer reader to focus on making suggestions about more substantive aspects of your paper like argumentation, structure, and organization.
Our guide on proofreading can help you learn best practices for proofreading an academic paper.
If your peer reviewer finds that you’re missing citations, you can use BibGuru’s citation generator to create citations quickly and easily.
5. Have questions ready
If you have lingering questions about your assignment, you can often use the workshop session to ask your fellow classmates or your instructor.
Frequently Asked Questions about how to prepare for a peer review workshop
🎃 What is a peer workshop?
Many college writing classes feature peer review workshops in which you read a fellow student’s paper.
🎩 What are the main benefits of a peer workshop?
Peer review workshops are great opportunities for receiving feedback from other students and for asking questions you may have about your draft.
🦇 Why is peer review important for students?
In many cases, a classmate may notice a weakness in your argument or evidence that you’ve missed.
🍄 How do you peer review?
Peer review involves providing feedback to a classmate. To do so successfully, you should be ready to give feedback and you should consult any guidelines for the peer review workshop beforehand.
🍔 What are peer review activities?
Your instructor may ask you to simply exchange papers with a peer for silent reading or to read your paper aloud to a fellow classmate or small group.
