I have done peer reviews before, but I mostly was focusing on the local revision of grammar errors and sentence structure changes. Adjusting to look at a person’s essay from a more holistic view was a challenge for me. Sometimes it was hard to ignore the surface errors and to think about their big picture ideas. However, I definitely improved in my ability to peer review. I was able to focus on the ideas a person introduced in their writing, and give positive feedback on details such as their transitions, choice of quotes, and inclusion of background information. I was also able to make suggestions for more big picture changes such as including a more personal perspective, clarifying the argument, and using more specific language when discussing their main point. By the last peer review, I was able to take a step back from the small errors completely and really just focus on the body of the essay.
I know how helpful it is to have an outside perspective on whether or not your ideas make sense, so I really wanted to put as much effort into my peer reviews as possible. Sometimes ideas that are clear to the writer may not have all the details needed for the reader to completely understand. By really focusing on the composition of the essay more than the delivery, I could give a much more useful review to my peers.
