Peer Editing Guidelines

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Peer Editing Guidelines

• The Art of Giving and Receiving Constructive
  Criticism
• Courtesy of Mrs. Sally Shelton

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Peer-editing Dos

• Do use constructive criticism Let all things be
  done unto edifying (1 Cor 1426).
• Do adopt a trust stance avoid self-defensiveness,
  assume the best of others motives lovealways
  trusts (1 Cor 137, NIV)

Edify or buildup to promote the health,
strength, esteem, or reputation of
Trust believing in the honesty and reliability
of others
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Peer-editing Dos

•   Do listen. Pay attention to what the other
  writer is saying, just as you hope the other
  person will pay attention to what you are saying.
  
• Do look at content above everything else.

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Peer-editing Donts

• Dont apologize! Remember that all drafts are
  works in progress, and therefore you do not need
  to apologize for anything written in a draft.
• Don't argue about ideas expressed within the
  paper. Your role is not to agree or disagree, but
  to help that writer express the ideas clearly and
  effectively.
• Don't waste time on surface errors in parts of
  the draft that may ultimately be cut--try to
  always look at the overall effectiveness of the
  essay.

http//www.colby.edu/writers.center/tips/peerediti
ng.html
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Advantages of Peer Editing

• Student-centered rather than instructor-centered
• Helps overcome writers block
• Motivates the writer to focus on communicating
  effectively to ones
• peers
• Encourages rewriting
• Encourages writer to exercise critical
• self-evaluation

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Another Advantage

• Relieves a kind of stress known as writers
  anxiety

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ (Gal 62).
Dont worry! This is apple juice!
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Stages of Writing

• Prewriting (Preparing to write)
• Drafting (Putting thoughts on paper)
• Revision (Taking another look)
• Final proofreading
• Publication (Final draft)

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Prewriting(Preparing to write)

• Read, think, free-write in a journal format
• Identify purpose and audience
• Research, take notes, gather information
• Brainstorm with a peer group
• Organize thinking and plan

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Drafting (Putting thoughts on paper)

• Focus on content (quantity and quality to be
  considered later)
• Compose freely, without concern for mechanics

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Revising (Taking another look)

• Maintain focus on content vs. mechanics
• Share draft with peer group
• Invite discussion, accept response and helpful
  input from peers
• Add to, delete from, rearrange, and revise first
  draft

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Editing/Proofreading

• Share revised draft with peer group
• Invite correction of grammar, spelling,
  punctuation, usage
• Incorporate corrections in final draft

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Publication(The final draft)

• Share the product with peer group
  (dramatizations, small group reports, oral
  presentations, etc.)
• Invite evaluation by peer group, family and
  friends, colleagues
• Submit for final evaluation by teacher

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Peer Editing Instructions Phase 1

• Begin with the big picture. Read through the
  paper for comprehension. (Ignore mechanics at
  this point.)
• Does the introduction grab your attention? Does
  it explain why the topic is significant?
• Are you able to identify the thesis statement? Is
  the rest of the paper closely tied to the thesis?
• Is the paper clearly organized?
• Is the body of the paper presented logically?
• Does the author show evidence of doing adequate
  research?
• Does the author interact well with his/her
  sources? Are the sources referenced?
• Does the author maintain a scholarly tone
  throughout?
• Does the conclusion re-state the thesis in a
  fresh way?
• Does the author make an application of his/her
  thesis?

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Peer Editing Instructions Phase II

• Now consider the mechanics.
• Is the format of the footnotes correct?
• Is the word choice precise and succinct?
• Does the paper flow well? Does the author use
  transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs?
• Do the sentences reflect correct grammar?
  Consider tense, noun/pronoun agreement,
  subject/verb agreement, avoidance of fragments
  and run-ons.
• Consider punctuation, capitalization, and
  spelling.
• Consider paper format font, spacing, pagination,
  margins.