While some instructors rely heavily on peer-review, others may not use it at all. Even if it’s not required, though, it can always beneficial to have another pair of eyes to read and critique your essay.

You can ask anyone to be a peer reviewer, not just a teacher or a classmate. We don’t recommend cats, though: their feedback tends to be unnecessarily harsh.

You can find ANYONE to be a peer reviewer — it doesn’t  need to be a classmate or someone with a degree in English!  A friend, a family member, or a co-worker can all be good resources to ensure that you’ve made a clear argument.

You also have a variety of options to choose from once you find someone to peer review your work.  Have your reviewer talk to you about his/her suggestions or just write those ideas down for you to use later?

Be Specific When Asking for Feedback

The more specific you are in asking for feedback, the more helpful the feedback will be for you. If you’re really struggling with transitions, mention that to your reader; it will help them zero in on the feedback that will be most helpful to you.

You can also ask peer reviewers to work with you essay in a particular way, such as the following:

• Ask your peer review to summarize your essay in just a few sentences.  Did he/she include what you thought were the most important parts?  If not, how could you highlight those important points in your revision?
• You could also ask your peer review to be the “devil’s advocate” and consider what someone from the opposing view would think.  How might those points change your argument, your word choice, or your organization?  Could you effectively “debate” another essay from the opposing view with what you’ve written?
• You might also ask them to fill in an outline using your essay.  Does it match the outline that you’ve created?  If not, start by examining the thesis statement and topic sentences to make sure that the link is clear.