Peer Editing Guidelines

Read through the entire paper, then answer the following questions somewhere on your classmate's draft. Once you have finished, discuss peer-editing comments with your classmate.

1. Thesis—What is the paper's thesis statement (rewrite it in your own words)? Is it arguable? Could another writer reasonably argue the opposite of this thesis statement? Write down an opposing thesis statement. What does the writer tell you about this text that you would not otherwise have considered after reading through the text only once? If you cannot identify a clear thesis statement, then tell your classmate and offer suggestions about how to formulate one.

2. Writing Style—Indicate any unclear sentences or any particularly effective sentences. Watch out for uses of the passive voice or excessively wordy sentences. Overall, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this paper's writing style? Are the sentences too complicated and hard to follow, or are they too simple and slow-paced, or do they strike a good balance between these two tendencies?

3. Organization—Provide a brief outline of your classmate's paper. If there is anything about the paper's organization that is unclear, offer suggestions to your classmate about how she or he can make it clearer. Examine the transitions your classmate uses to move from one paragraph to the next and from one point to another. Indicate particularly effective transitions between ideas as well as those that could use improvement. Indicate the areas in which you got lost while reading the paper. Finally, consider paragraph lengths. Do the paragraphs tend to be too short (thus making the paper choppy and fragmented)? Or, are the paragraphs too long (thus leaving readers with an unclear idea of the paragraph's main topic)?

4. Evidence—Pay careful attention to your classmate's use of evidence in support of the argument about the text. Indicate any statements that lack support from a quotation though they need such support. Also, indicate any quotation that does not receive enough explication to make its inclusion in the argument worthwhile. Remember that each paper should include an MLA-formatted Works Cited list at the end. Look over your classmate's list of works cited and note anything that appears to be amiss. Remember also that in-text citations need parenthetical references after them according to the MLA format.

5. Title, Opening and Closing Paragraphs—After reading the opening paragraph, explain what compels you to read the paper further. If nothing compels you to do so, suggest ways to change this paragraph to make it more engaging. The closing paragraph should reconsider the overall argument and draw conclusions as a result of that argument. What does this paper's closing paragraph conclude? How might the writer make this conclusion clearer? Does the title of the paper give you a clear idea of what this paper is about? Does it get your attention? How can your classmate improve the title?

6. Questions? Write three questions you have about the paper that will help your classmate develop the argument further.

7. Sign your classmate's draft after you have peer-edited it.