25 Jan Evaluation of a Peer’s Research Paper
Description
In this assignment you are asked to offer a critique one of your fellow classmate’s papers. You will find the paper attached for you to review. The assignment is meant to allow you to learn about another topic, to appreciate your peer’s methods of formulating their essay, and to critically assess its strengths and weaknesses.
Instructions
Give a formal written evaluation of the paper. You are to write your Peer Paper Evaluation knowing that your instructor has already read the paper. There is no need to re-state the paper’s argument as you have done in writing an annotated bibliographic reference or an abstract, but rather, your evaluation is to be primarily about describing the worth and/or problems you see in the paper as it treats its topic. You are to evaluate the argument, how the paper’s thesis is developed, and the way the paper is put together.
Keep in mind that it is the paper that you are to objectively evaluate, and not the author, whose name will be removed before you get the paper in any case. All of the insights and opinions that you offer in your Peer’s Paper Evaluation are to exhibit the same high standards for objectivity as was required for essays. The text of your Peer’s Paper Evaluation is to be 500 words, +/- 20 words. Do not count any reference citations you may use in your word count.
Finally, when scholars use the term ‘critique’ or “critical evaluation” – what your Peer’s Paper Evaluation is to be – this does not mean that your evaluation is meant to be ‘critical’ in the common pejorative sense of the word. What it means is that you need to use what you write to explore the findings and arguments of your fellow-student’s paper. You are to create an intellectual dialogue between the essay and your Peer Student Evaluation. As in the writing of your own essay, you will be asking the question, “is this true”, “is this proven”, and “what other things should be considered?”
Evaluation
The following rubric indicates those areas you should be focusing on in preparing your assignment, and how the instructor will weigh these components relative to one another.
ty/Competencies Demonstrated Grade
Critical Analysis /55
a. Insights into strengths and weaknesses of the essay /20
b. Appropriateness of comments (academic) /20
c. Completeness of aspects assessed /15
Communication /25
a. Uses language clearly and effectively /10
b. Essay assessment organized intelligently and systematically /10
c. Proper introduction and conclusion to review /5
