Please keep in mind that a peer review is a mutually beneficial collaborative exercise. While responses are due on Day 3 and Day 7 of the week, you are advised to remain active in this discussion throughout the week.

Consult the resources below. Then, participate in the following learning activity.

• Chapter 15 from Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write, and Think about History
• A strategy for analyzing and revising a first draft (Links to an external site.).

Peer review is an important part of historical scholarship. When historians wish to publish their work, it undergoes peer review by other experts in the field. The reviewers examine the credibility of the work based on the quality of research, analysis, and writing it exhibits. This level of review takes place after the author has already subjected his or her work to extensive editing. In sum, analytic, persuasive, accurate, and well-written work is the result of multiple levels of review and revision.

This learning activity provides you the opportunity to examine the work of a colleague and, in turn, receive feedback on your own draft. The process of review and revision can open our eyes to issues that we have overlooked, such as attention to context, weaknesses in argumentation, unsubstantiated points, missing analysis, or unclear writing. The ability to review work objectively, honestly, and openly is essential, while the benefits to the author and reviewer are many.

For this learning activity you are going to upload your rough draft of the Final Capstone Research Project to this forum and select one of your classmates’ rough drafts to review. You must select a draft that has not already been claimed by another classmate. Please follow the instructions below:

• On Day 1, post your rough draft to the Final Capstone Research Project to this forum by attaching it to a brief post (i.e. “This is John Smith’s Rough Draft.  Please see attached.”
• After you have uploaded your draft, check and see see which drafts have already been claimed by other classmates. Select a draft to review that has been posted by one of your classmates.
• Once you have selected a draft to review, immediately post a response  to the student whose draft you will review.  (You do not have to post the peer review at this time; you need only indicate which draft you are reviewing.) You must select and claim a draft by Day 3. In the Subject field of your response, type your name and the name of the person for whom you will be submitting a review.
• Return to the Doc Sharing area and select and download an unclaimed draft.
• Once you have selected a draft to review, immediately post your initial response in the discussion forum, indicating the one you have chosen. (You do not have to post the peer review at this time; you need only indicate which draft you are reviewing.) You must select and claim a draft by Day 3. In the Subject field of your response, type your name and the name of the person for whom you will be submitting a review.
  • Example: “Pico della Mirandola will review the work of Dante Alighieri”
• Download and save the Peer Review Essay Analysis Form and use it to review the draft you selected.
• Fill out the form and share it as an update under your intention to review. The student whose work you are reviewing will need to read and consider your feedback in order to respond by Day 7. In consideration of the collaborative nature of this learning activity, please share your review as early in the week as possible.
• Please ensure that your feedback is as constructive as possible.  You are not “grading” your peer’s draft, rather, the goal is for you to provide helpful feedback on the topic.