PEER REVIEW ASSIGNMENT
Peer reviewing is an important process in psychological science. As researchers, we conduct studies and write up our results, and in order to publish our results, we submit them to peer-reviewed journals. Typically three of our peers, others who are familiar with the specific subfield we study, will review our manuscripts submitted for publication. An editor of the journal will receive the manuscripts, ensure anonymity, and select the reviewers. Then the editor collects the reviews and returns them to the authors of the manuscripts, also ensuring the anonymity of the reviewers.
Your grade on this activity is derived from your reviews of others’ work, not the reviews others provide of your work. You will be assigned a manuscript for review. You must review it and return your reviews on time to qualify for ANY points. If you are late, you will receive NO points, and your colleagues will not have the benefit of your comments, which they will need to improve their paper for the final submission. I hope you will take your responsibility seriously and give it the attention it deserves.
On Monday of Module 7, you will exchange papers with another student in class and look over his/her work. Be sure to get a copy of it to read if you are unable to complete your review during class time. By Wednesday of Module 7 you must submit your reviews in the appropriate Peer-review dropbox, and your reviews must follow the assignment format (see below), using this document.
Assignment Format
Your reviews will be done in memo format (not in APA style!). Keep in mind that your review is constructive feedback for your colleague. Your goal is to help them make it better for the final paper.
Begin with a paragraph that summarizes what they have accomplished with the paper. This is a paragraph that should let the editor know that you have read the paper and understood the goal of the writer.
Your second paragraph should focus on the strengths of the paper, in other words, what you feel the author did well.
Your third paragraph should focus on the weaknesses of the paper, particularly in areas where the author could improve the work to make it more readable, understandable, and informative.
Unlike your manuscript, your review should be SINGLE-spaced. Your review will probably be .5 to 1 page long, but feel free to comment more if it is warranted.
Naming the review files after the author’s last name will be helpful to the editor, (namely me). E. G., file name: peer-review_Ault
Format of your review
TO: Editor
FROM: Reviewer ________ (your name)
RE: Manuscript entitled “__________” [Use the manuscript title and author’s last name]
Begin your review here. Refer to the writer of the manuscript as “the author.” Be as clear and direct as possible. See rubric at the end for grading.
