Reviewed by: Ian Morano

Peer Review: Improve Your Informative Essay

One of the biggest challenges writers face is reading a draft of their own work as a reader rather than as the writer. Because you know what youre trying to say, you find it easy to understand your draft. To determine how you should revise your draft, ask a friend or classmate to read your essay and consider how well youve adopted the role of reporter.

Purpose

1. Did you find the essay informative? Did you learn anything new? -yes, I did not know anything about agricultural runoff until I read your paper 2. What questions does the essay answer? Do I need to address any other questions? -You answer what is happening, why it is happening, and what needs to be changed. You can give a little more about how residents find out about the problem.

Readers

3. Did you find the essay interesting? Why or why not? -yes, because I did not have much knowledge about the problem. It opened my eyes to one of a few ways in which our world needs to be fixed. 4. Does the information Ive included in my essay address my readers needs, interests, and backgrounds? -yes, you did a nice job explaining why people should care and you didnt come off bias. You explained that runoff happens everywhere and if anything, you could just give more examples. 5. Does the essay seem fair? Did you detect any bias or agenda in the way I presented information? -No, you only informed the audience of what the issue is and ways that it is being handled. Nobody can argue that runoff is a good thing. The process itself is a good thing and you mentioned that. But in excess, it is bad.

Reviewed by: Ian Morano

Sources

6. Does the information make sense? Can I add, clarify, or rearrange anything to help you understand the subject better? Do you think any of the details are unnecessary? -If anything, more sources are always better. As I said earlier, the more sources you have, the more credible the paper. 7. Do my sources strike you as reliable and appropriate? Does any of the information seem questionable? -all of your sources seemed reliable. You gave facts straight from EPA and that was very good. But again, more is better.

Context

8. Is my subject sufficiently narrow and focused? Is my thesis statement clear? -You stated in your intro what you would talk about and you stayed on topic. I felt the thesis was clear. Maybe a little wordy, but clear. 9. Would any of the information be better presented in visual form? -I didnt see pictures, but you did mention some ideas you had that I thought were good. I would definitely recommend visuals. 10. Is the physical appearance of my essay appropriate? Did you find the font and typeface easy to read? Did you have enough room to write down comments? -Format was fine.

For each of the points listed above, ask your reviewers to provide concrete advice about what you should do to improve your draft. It can help if you ask them to adopt the role of an editor someone who is working with you to improve your draft. You can read more about these and other collaborative activities in Chapter 4 of Joining the Conversation.