43.342 Inquisition

UML, Fall 2007

Prof. Carlsmith

Peer Review of Papers

On Wed., Dec 5, 2007 you will again be placed into pairs (alphabetically) and asked to critique your classmate’s Outline,  Bibliography, and Introduction.  You will have approximately 10 minutes to review their written materials, and then a further 20 minutes for mutual discussion and review.  The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to advise each other on possible ways to improve the organization and argument of the paper.  There is no “right” answer in this process.

Constructive criticism can be an enormously valuable tool for improving the quality of one’s thought and written expression.  Nevertheless, it is difficult to provide such criticism, just as it can be difficult to receive it.  Here are some guidelines for that process:

1.   Comment on the paper/outline/bibliography, not on the person who has written it.  For example, “the bibliography has many more Internet sources than library sources”, not “were you too lazy to look in the library?”

2.   “Constructive” criticism means offering a solution, as well as identifying the problem.  Different readers will have different solutions, and often there is more than one way to fix a problem.

3.   Mark up the draft outline/bibliography if you find it useful to do so.  Pencils seem less invasive than pens.

4.   Consider the following items:

      a) organization of the paper (clarity, cohesiveness, logical flow?)

      b) argument/thesis presented in the paper (unified? comprehensive?)

      c) use of specific examples to support the thesis

      d) reference to primary and/or secondary sources

      e) format of bibliographical entries

5.   Remember the “sandwich” analogy:  each negative comment is surrounded by two positive ones.

6.   Remember that there are multiple ways to frame an argument, write a sentence, or consider an idea.  Your job is to suggest alternatives to the author, not to impose your editorial view.

7.   Be honest with your opinions; if something doesn’t make sense, say so, and then explain why it doesn’t.

8.   Respect the time limits of the exercise.

9.   Specific grammatical corrections are always appreciated, but your greatest contribution to your classmate will probably come from a broader reading and discussion about the paper as a whole.

10.  Remember the Golden Rule.  At the same time, learning to offer clear and useful criticism that is mutually beneficial is one of the most important professional skills you can acquire.