Peer Reviews of Two Other Students' Papers
(50 pts max)

Peer review is a hallmark of the process by which scholarly papers are published. Before a paper is published in a scientific journal, it usually is reviewed by 2-3 of the author’s peers (scientists who have similar expertise) and the journal’s editor. Reviews serve two functions: 1) to help the author improve the paper and 2) to maintain the journal’s standards by rejecting sub-par papers.

Each student will receive two term papers written by other students. The authors’ names will not be listed (reviewers should focus on the work, not the person who wrote it!). Reviews of each paper should be concisely written and 1-2 pages in length. Peer reviews will be anonymous unless the reviewer chooses to sign his/her review. Peer reviewers will not assign grades; they will provide constructive criticism to assist the author in improving his/her paper. Reviews should note both the strengths and weaknesses of the paper (even a horrible paper has some good aspects worth mentioning, and even a great paper has some aspects that could be improved). The general tone of the review should be positive and helpful. Additional guidance on writing good, constructive reviews will be provided to students when first drafts are distributed for review. Each written review will be graded for its intellectual content, tone, clarity, and grammar.

DUE DATES and additional information on the peer reviews are available in the PDF Term Paper Handout.