peer editing essay

How to Peer Edit an Essay: Free Peer Editing Checklist

If you want to peer edit an essay and are looking for some top tips, check out our free peer editing checklist.

The idea of editing and proofreading your own essays, let alone asking someone else to help, may be beyond comprehension. In fact, you may think your essay is pretty fantastic already.

If so, you’re deceiving yourself.

Don’t just settle for good . You should be looking for great.

But how do you achieve this?

The majority of students settle for good. That’s enough. It will get them through school.

But good isn’t enough for the top students. They aspire to be great. They aspire to be awesome.

How do YOU become awesome?

Get a friend to help.

To take an essay beyond the draft stage through a polished version, you need a peer editor. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional essay editor (although that will deliver the best results); it needs to be someone who will call you out and tell you how it really is.

When you’re looking for someone to peer edit your essay, try and choose someone who you know well and who you can trust to be honest and methodical. You’re not looking for someone who’ll tell you how great your essay is; you’re looking for someone who will provide you with an objective criticism of your paper.

The purpose of the exercise isn’t to tear you down; it’s to make you better.

So, once you’ve found the ideal peer editor, how can you get the most out of the exercise?

Hand them our handy tips and the great peer editing checklist.

If you wish to edit your essay before engaging the help of a peer editor, take a look at our guide to essay editing .

How to Peer Edit an Essay: Top Tips for Success

Peer editors should review an essay with the primary intention of offering advice on how it can be improved. Here are some great tips to make sure you do the task justice.

Ideally, read through the paper at least twice

During the first pass, you’ll familiarize yourself with the content of the essay and the primary arguments that are put forth. During the second pass, you’ll have a chance to readily understand what is being said. If you don’t understand the content after two readings; there’s a problem the writer needs to know about.

Position yourself as the target reader

While you’re in the process of peer editing the essay, take the role of the envisioned reader; i.e., the person who is reading the essay to learn from someone as opposed to being on the hunt for pesky grammatical errors. During the peer editing process, you should be concerned with content, organization, and style. If you focus purely on punctuation and spelling errors, you may not add a significant amount of value. Your role is to help the writer ensure the essay is clear and compelling.

Resist the temptation to fix the issues

Your job as a peer editor is not to take over and correct any issues that you identify; it’s to provide the writer with constructive feedback on how the paper can be improved.

Tell the truth… constructively

If you’re peer editing a friend’s essay, you may not want to hurt his or her feelings by pointing out areas where there is a lack of clarity. However, if you fail to do so, there’s no point in engaging in the process. Resist the urge to say everything is fine and instead focus on how you can help the writer learn someone from the process. Provide constructive feedback that highlights the positive areas of the essay while also pointing out some areas for improvement.

Provide specific details

Don’t provide sweeping statements such as, “I don’t understand your point.” Instead, provide very precise feedback on what exactly you don’t understand and what information may help you understand it better: “Perhaps you could make your point clearer by explaining why…” Take every opportunity to explain why you found something effective or ineffective.

Check the style guide

Universities and colleges typically follow one of six major style guides in academic writing: APA, Harvard, MHRA, MLA , OSCOLA and Oxford. When you write in a consistent manner following a recognised style guide, it is simpler for readers to understand what to anticipate and where to find further information. Effective application of a style in formal writing will distinguish your work visually and ensure you meet the university’s requirements. If you’re using APA, take a look at our guide to APA formatting .

The Three Pillars of Excellent Peer Essay Editing

Free peer editing checklist.

Download a free PDF version of our peer editing checklist by clicking on the image above. Here’s the full lowdown on what’s included.

Essay Introduction

• Does the essay begin with a clear, attention-grabbing statement or hook?
• Are there at least three sentences in the introduction?
• Does the writer make his or her intentions clear?
• Are you clear about what issue is being addressed in this essay?
• Is there a clear thesis statement?

See our guide to how to write an essay introduction for more help.

• Are there at least three body paragraphs?
• Does each body paragraph contain a clear topic sentence and idea?
• Does each body paragraph contain a conclusion statement that leads well to the next body paragraph?
• Does the conclusion contain at least three sentences?
• Does the conclusion refer back to the thesis statement?

Essay Flow and Coherence

• Do the ideas flow logically through the paper and contribute to a building argument?
• Have you used transitions correctly?
• Is the essay interesting?
• Does the analysis presented in the paper support the thesis statement?
• Is the sentence structure varied?

Essay Style and Mechanics

• Have you appropriately attributed and cited evidence?
• Have you cited each reference source according to the relevant style guide? If you’re using APA, take a look at our APA checklist .
• Is the paper formatted according to the relevant style guide?
• Are the references, tables, and figures formatted according to the relevant style guide?
• Have you proofread the paper? For a full proofreading checklist, take a look at our essay proofreading checklist.
• Misspelled words
• Grammatical mistakes
• Punctuation errors
• Run-on Sentences

So that’s our guide to how to peer edit an essay. Got anything to add? Please leave a comment.

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Peer editing is a collaborative process where students constructively review and provide feedback on each other's written work to enhance clarity, coherence, and correctness. This technique not only improves writing skills but also fosters critical thinking, active engagement, and communication abilities among peers. To maximize the benefits of peer editing, it's essential for students to establish clear guidelines and cultivate a respectful and supportive feedback environment.

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What is the primary purpose of peer editing?

Why is peer editing relevant in professional environments?

Which of the following is NOT a key stage in peer editing?

Which aspect does NOT belong to the checklist for grammar and spelling?

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Peer Editing Definition

Peer editing is a collaborative process where students review and provide feedback on each other's writing. This method is an integral part of the writing process in educational settings and helps students improve their writing skills through constructive criticism.

Understanding Peer Editing

Peer editing involves several key stages, which ensure both the writer and the editor gain from the experience.

• Reading : The peer editor carefully reads the content to understand the writer's main ideas and identify any areas that may need improvement.
• Commenting : Constructive feedback is provided on aspects such as clarity, detail, organization, and grammar.
• Discussing : The peer editor and the writer engage in a dialogue to clarify feedback and discuss possible improvements.
• Revising : The writer revises their work based on the editor's suggestions.

Peer editing is defined as the process where students engage in reviewing each other's written work to offer suggestions for improvement, foster collaborative learning, and enhance critical analysis skills.

For instance, in a peer editing session, you might receive feedback like 'Your argument is strong, but the conclusion could be clearer. Consider summarizing your main points in the final paragraph.'

Remember, the goal of peer editing is not to criticize, but to help make each other's writing more effective and polished.

Peer editing is not just an educational tool; it reflects real-world processes in professional environments where collaboration is key. Many professionals, such as authors, journalists, and researchers, rely on peer feedback as a critical part of their work, ensuring accuracy and clarity before publication.

How to Peer Edit

Engaging in peer editing involves a methodical approach, enabling you to offer and receive valuable insights that can significantly enhance your writing.

Steps to Effective Peer Editing

• Preparation : Before starting, ensure you understand the assignment criteria and what to look for in the writing piece.
• Reading with Purpose : Read the text attentively without making any comments at first, to get a grasp of the overall content and style.
• Composing Feedback : Note down your initial thoughts, focusing on both strengths and areas needing improvement, such as grammar, flow, and argument clarity.
• Using Evidence : Support your feedback with examples from the text. For instance, if a paragraph lacks coherence, point out the sentences and offer suggestions for rearrangement.
• Delivering Feedback : Be direct but respectful while sharing your feedback with the writer. Offer specific, actionable advice.

If a peer’s essay is unclear in places, instead of saying, 'This part is confusing,' you might say, 'The transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt; consider adding a sentence to connect these ideas.'

When giving feedback, use 'I' statements to express your thoughts, such as 'I felt that...' or 'I noticed that...'. This creates a more collaborative environment.

The practice of peer editing not only improves your writing but also develops critical thinking and empathy. When putting yourself in the writer’s shoes, you learn to consider multiple perspectives, a skill that’s vital both in academic and real-world scenarios. Additionally, you refine your self-editing skills by repeatedly identifying common errors—skills that transfer to your personal writing tasks.

Peer Editing Techniques

Developing effective peer editing techniques is essential for enhancing writing skills and fostering a collaborative learning environment . It involves clear communication and specific strategies to ensure constructive and beneficial feedback.

Effective Communication in Peer Editing

Effective communication during peer editing ensures feedback is both constructive and supportive. Here are a few strategies to keep in mind:

• Active Listening : Pay close attention to the writer's perspective and main points before offering your feedback. This ensures that your comments are relevant and constructive.
• Expressing Thoughts Clearly : Use simple, precise language when providing feedback. Be specific about what changes are needed and why. This helps the writer understand exactly what areas to focus on.
• Balancing Criticism with Praise : Always aim to balance your critique by acknowledging the positive aspects of the piece as well. This encourages motivation.
• Asking Questions : Instead of just pointing out flaws, ask questions that guide the writer to think critically about their own work. For example, 'What do you want the reader to understand in this section?'

A common technique in peer editing is the 'Compliment, Suggestion, Correction' model. This approach helps organize feedback and ensures it's well-received.

Understanding different communication styles can further enhance the efficiency of peer editing sessions. Some students may prefer direct feedback, while others might benefit from a more supportive approach. Adapting your style to suit the needs of your peer can lead to more productive collaboration.

Constructive Feedback Methods

Providing feedback that is both helpful and kind requires a structured approach. Here are some methods to optimize your feedback:

• Focus on the Writing, Not the Writer : Always target your feedback towards the specific elements of the writing. Avoid personal references to keep the focus on improvement.
• Be Specific : Vague feedback like 'this paragraph needs work' is not helpful. Instead, specify, 'The main idea of this paragraph is unclear. Consider adding a topic sentence.'
• Offer Solutions : Suggest possible ways to address issues rather than just highlighting them. This not only helps the writer make improvements but also builds your analytical skills.

For example, a feedback comment could be, 'In your essay conclusion , restate your thesis and key points to reinforce the argument—this will make your piece more persuasive.'

Peer Editing Checklist

A comprehensive peer editing checklist is a valuable tool for systematically evaluating written work. Utilizing checklists helps ensure all critical aspects of writing are reviewed effectively, leading to more precise and helpful feedback.

Checklist for Grammar and Spelling

When reviewing a peer's work, focus on identifying and correcting grammatical and spelling errors. This can significantly improve the overall quality of the writing.

• Spelling : Double-check for correct spelling of words, ensuring accuracy throughout the document.
• Punctuation : Check for proper use of commas, periods, exclamation points, and question marks.
• Grammar : Look for subject-verb agreement , proper tense usage, and correct sentence structure .
• Capitalization : Ensure that proper nouns and the beginning of sentences are capitalized.

While editing, you might notice a sentence like 'Their going to the park.' which should be corrected to 'They're going to the park.'

Using online tools and resources such as grammar checkers can help catch errors you might miss.

Checklist for Structure and Clarity

Ensuring structure and clarity in writing is essential for effectively communicating ideas. A checklist can help improve the organization and flow of a piece.

• Introduction : Verify that the introduction provides a clear overview of the topic and engages the reader.
• Paragraph Order : Assess whether paragraphs are logically organized and ideas flow smoothly from one to the next.
• Transition Sentences : Ensure that transitions between paragraphs are smooth and appropriately link concepts.
• Conclusion : Check if the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and reinforces the argument.
• Clarity : Look for sentences or sections that may confuse the reader and suggest simplification or rewording.

Understanding paragraph coherence is vital for clarity. Coherence refers to the logical bridge between ideas in a paragraph. The use of linking words, consistent verb tense, and focus on a single idea per paragraph can reinforce coherence, making your writing more accessible and effective.

Peer Editing Examples

Understanding peer editing through examples enriches your comprehension and application of the technique. By observing practical applications, you can better grasp how to approach, execute, and benefit from the process.

Sample Peer Editing Worksheet

A sample peer editing worksheet can guide editors in providing structured and comprehensive feedback. Worksheets typically include sections for comments and suggestions on various aspects of writing.

A peer editing worksheet is a tool that guides students through the evaluation and feedback process, helping them to focus on key elements of writing such as thesis clarity, evidence support, and grammatical accuracy.

A completed worksheet not only helps the writer improve their work, but also serves as a reference for future assignments.

For instance, a peer editing worksheet might prompt you to evaluate the thesis by asking, 'Does the thesis statement clearly convey the main argument? Provide suggestions for clarification if needed.'

Using worksheets can turn peer editing sessions into motivational and learning-rich environments. Teachers can further customize these worksheets to address specific learning goals or to target common writing issues observed within the classroom. This strategy not only enables targeted writing improvement but also fosters an environment of shared learning and growth among peers.

Real-life Peer Editing Scenarios

Peer editing is utilized in various real-life scenarios beyond the classroom. Understanding these can offer insights into the practical application and benefits of peer editing.

• Collaborative Writing Projects : In professional settings, teams often collaborate on documents or reports. Peer editing is essential to ensure a cohesive and polished final product.
• Workshops and Writing Groups : Writers frequently engage in peer editing during workshops, where participants exchange drafts to gain fresh perspectives on their work.
• Publishing : Before a piece goes to print, it often goes through multiple revisions involving peer feedback to enhance clarity, accuracy, and engagement.

Consider a scenario where colleagues are developing a presentation. They review each other's slides for clarity and effectiveness, ensuring the final presentation is coherent and impactful.

In any setting where writing needs refinement and accuracy, peer editing proves to be an invaluable tool.

Peer editing also parallels peer review systems used in academic publishing. Just as scientific papers undergo rigorous peer review before publication, student work benefits from multiple perspectives offered by peer editing. This process helps to catch errors, refine arguments, and enhance overall quality, preparing students for future professional experiences.

Peer editing - Key takeaways

• Peer Editing Definition: A collaborative process where students review and provide feedback on each other's writing to improve writing skills through constructive criticism.
• How to Peer Edit: Involves preparation, reading with purpose, composing feedback, using evidence, and delivering feedback respectfully.
• Peer Editing Techniques: Effective communication , focusing on writing and not the writer, being specific, offering solutions, and balancing criticism with praise.
• Peer Editing Checklist: Includes checks for grammar, structure, clarity, and coherence; useful for systematic evaluation and accurate feedback.
• Peer Editing Examples: Utilized in real-life scenarios such as collaborative writing projects, workshops, and publishing to refine writing quality and clarity.

Flashcards in Peer editing 15

Avoid constructive discussions

Ignoring writer's feelings

Offer suggestions without reading.

Reduces the need for individual writing skills.

Use generic comments like 'good job.'

To help improve writing skills through constructive feedback.

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How to Peer Edit an Essay

By Georgina Roy

Peer to peer learning is very important for writers. Writers work alone, most of the time, and writers are highly sensitive about their own work. Sometimes, you might be put into a situation where you will have to peer edit an essay , probably in a school setting or as a part of a writing workshop. Also, if your friends are writers, you might be asked to peer edit not just an essay, but a larger piece of work as well, like a short story, a novella, and maybe even a novel.

Also, knowing how to peer edit an essay can help you edit your own work as well. There are three steps to follow when you are peer editing an essay, and we will get to them below, but first, let’s take a look at what peer editing actually means.

What is peer editing?

Peer editing refers to editing a piece of writing written by a person who is equal to you in skills and abilities, or age, or both. In a school setting, your peers are your classmates. If you’re attending a writers’ workshop , the same will apply. And once someone else’s writing finds its way to you for peer editing, you might be tempted to just jump in and edit their grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors and be done with it.

However, put yourself into the writer’s shoes: would you really be that worried about grammar and spelling error? Or, would you prefer to receive constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is necessary with peer editing

Anyone can notice a few grammar and spelling errors. However, it will be your writer peers who will be able to give you constructive feedback. Receiving constructive feedback is what makes peer editing so beneficial to all writers. Constructive feedback contains two steps: complimenting the writer and offering suggestions.

When you’re complimenting the writer, you will point out everything that you believe the writer has done right. For example, you might compliment the topic of their essay, their word choice, the structure of the essay, and other things. This will have a positive effect on the writer. Remember, your goal is not to discourage the writer, but to offer constructive feedback. If you only focus on what should be improved – and if the first part of your feedback is focused on improvement – the writer might start feeling incompetent and defensive, which will have a negative effect and render the peer editing useless in the end.

The second step, which is offering suggestions, is also a delicate step. Here, you can point out what you think should be improved, but you must present this as an opinion in the form of a suggestion, instead of saying that the structure of the essay, for example, was completely wrong. Again, you don’t want to discourage the writer, you want to help them improve, but you’re not helping when you’re just pointing out what is wrong without offering suggestions on how that can be fixed.

These two steps are very important, and are easier to understand via examples. Below, we will take a look at each step and explain how it is done, as well as offer helpful tips for each.

Step one: Praising the writer and offering compliments

This step is supposed to be easy, right? Just read the essay, find the things that you like and tell the writer. Only, what happens when the essay is mostly badly written, needs a lot of improvements, and you cannot find anything to compliment the writer on?

For that reason, in the first step, you need to at least compliment the writer on the topic they’ve chosen, the opinion they’ve shared, and your favorite thing about the essay.

The topic: You can always compliment the author on the topic they’ve chosen. You can offer your opinion on it, and why you find the topic interesting. This will break the ice between yourself and the writer, and the writer will be more receptive to everything you will have to say after that. In comparison, if you begin by saying that you don’t really care for the topic, you will create a barrier between you two. Instead, if you’re not interested in the topic, you can tell the writer that you’re not very knowledgeable about it. You will prompt them to explain why they’ve chosen the topic, again, breaking the ice in a positive way, rather than creating a barrier.

Their opinion: Writers share their thoughts through their writing. If you agree with the opinions the writer shared in the essay, you should tell them so. Again, this will create a connection between you two, and the writer will not feel animosity towards you. However, if you disagree with their opinion, instead of saying that directly, you can say that their opinion is interesting, and ask them the reasons why they think that way. This will prompt a friendly discussion, rather than generate animosity.

Favorite part: Whether you are peer editing an essay, or a novella or a novel, always make sure to have a favorite part. The favorite part doesn’t necessarily have to be the best part of the essay, but, you definitely have to present it as such. The good news is that you can choose anything. It can be a specific word the writer has chosen, or it can be a phrase, or how they have described something. Remember, you should always tell the writer what your favorite part was because the writer will understand that you read their essay with care – and you enjoyed it enough to have a favorite part.

Things to remember about the first step:

• Always be positive;
• Use the highest praises you can – but remain realistic;
• Don’t compliment something you think should be improved;
• Your goal is to be positive and start the peer editing process on a positive note;
• Show interest into the topic and the writer’s opinions, even if you disagree;
• Enable the writer to tell you more about the topic, and they may even explain what their thoughts were as they were writing the essay;
• Always have a favorite part or thing about the essay.

Step two: Making suggestions

In this step, you will talk about things that need to be improved. This step is important because you need to be careful not to do some of the following things:

• Make the writer feel insecure;
• Insult or hurt them by being too harsh;
• Offer problems and not solutions;
• Use derogatory language that will generate negativity between you two.

It’s very easy to make peer editing a negative experience for the writer if you let go and be a very harsh critic. While it is advisable to offer as many suggestions as possible, focus first on the top three or four things the writer should improve upon, which will be your major suggestions, and then if you still find more things to improve, mention them in passing.

Here are a few examples of what you shouldn’t do:

• Don’t say, “I see a lot of room for improvement here.” This will make the writer feel as though their essay is not good at all and that it needs a lot of work. Instead, you can say, “I have a few suggestions that might help the essay read better.”
• At any point, do not say words that are negative. For example, do not say something like “The essay reads as if it was written by a child.” While that example is extreme, even the smallest negative word can have a very big negative effect.
• Do not tell the writer things they’ve done wrong. That’s what offering suggestions is all about. Instead of saying, “You’ve used the word good so many times it makes reading the essay boring,” you can say, “The word “good” appears a lot in this essay, don’t you think? Do you think you could use another word, like excellent, or great?”

Most importantly, do not offer problems without solutions. If you think that there is room for improvements, you need to suggest how the writer can do this. Don’t say things like, “The structure of your essay is not good enough,” without offering tips on how the writer can change that. This is the reason why the second phase is in forms of suggestions.

Making suggestions instead of telling the writer what he or she has done wrong ensures that you don’t discourage the writer by negative comments and offer tips for improvement at the same time. Meanwhile, always remember to propose these suggestions in the form of a question, like:

• Do you think you could explain this part a bit more?
• Do you think you could use a stronger word here?
• Using the word superb here might be a little strong. Do you think you could use another word instead?
• Do you think that you can make this sentence shorter?

In this manner, you are prompting the writer to take a second look at the essay and see for themselves that the sentence is long, or that the word superb might be pretty strong in that part of the essay. You can do this for every area of improvement that you see in the essay.

Best of all is that you will not discourage the writer and make him or her feel bad. Instead, you are offering the type of constructive feedback that every writer needs, without crippling them in the process. Moreover, by phrasing suggestions as questions, you are putting a stronger emphasis on the fact that you and the writer are peers: that means equal in ability (or age) – instead of making the writer feel inferior to you.

Step three: Correcting grammar and spelling errors

This step isn’t the most important when it comes to the whole process, but you still should point out the spelling errors , wrong words, homonyms, and grammar errors that have slipped into the essay. This step is important to make the essay correct, but it will not have an impact on the essay or on the writer.

Most writers are fine with making spelling and grammar errors in the first draft and editing them out later, unless they are perfectionists who want to get everything right on the first try. Regardless, just because you offered constructive feedback in the first two steps, it doesn’t mean that you are entitled to skipping this step.

Moreover, two pairs of eyes going over the same essay will catch most, if not all, grammar and spelling errors, and make sure that the essay is the best version of itself it can be. This is important because it’s very easy for homonyms, for example, to go unnoticed (which is the reason why a lot of people today can barely tell the difference between you’re, your, they’re, their, were, we’re, and so on – they all sound the same). However, these types of spelling errors need to be eradicated from the essay.

Tips and tricks for peer editing

Peer editing needs, ultimately, to help the writer improve upon the essay and improve his or her writing in the future. However, you can also make peer editing more fun, interesting, and productive as well, by using some of the following tips:

• Create a grading system, where you award one or two, or more stars, for sections like: writing, word choice, sentence structure, use of adverbs, etc.
• Explain why you’re giving each compliment – not just saying that you liked something, but that you liked it because it brought a good image, or explained the point really well, etc.
• Talk to the writer as if you’re best friends, even if you’re strangers;
• Always try to be compassionate and empathetic – especially if you’re going to peer editing the writer’s essay tomorrow;
• Always be positive and use complimentary words;
• Treat improvements as things that the writer has not yet done (instead of presenting them as things the writer would have never done);
• Being friendly and positive will make the whole process easier and more interesting, instead of acting cold and professional all the time.

Image credit: Pixabay

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.