RESEARCH PAPER: FIRST PEER REVIEW

For this peer review, exchange papers with someone in a different row than yours. Write "read by" and your name at the top of his or her paper. Then mark up the draft, indicating errors, confusing sections, poor transitions, and particularly effective sections. Then write a note of at least half a page to the author that discusses the following:

1. Does the paper feel like an argument or simply an informational paper? If it feels like an argument, spell out what you think the argument is. If it feels like a purely informational paper, warn your partner that the paper must make an argument about the paper's subject. If you can, suggest one. Also, if there is only a rudimentary argument, can you suggest ways to refine it or make it more interesting?

2. How clear is the material to you? Does the writer hook your interest with the first paragraph? Is the monster/horror under discussion clearly explained in terms of what it did/does? Do you have a clear picture of what the issues are surrounding the subject? What do you think needs to be clarified or developed further? What do you wish you knew about the subject that isn't explained so far?

3. How effectively does the writer use monster theory to support his or her argument? If there is no link, warn the writer that a lack of monster theory will seriously hurt the paper's grade. Then suggest some potential links. If there is monster theory, how seamlessly was it integrated into the paper? Is it introduced effectively? Do the quotes from it make sense in how they were used in the paper?

4. How are the quote mechanics in the paper? Is the author including a signal phrase, a citation, and an analysis of each quote? Are they properly punctuated? Do the quotes seem to actually support a claim, or are they simply sitting there without any clear purpose?

5. Besides finishing the draft, what should the writer do as they continue to work towards Wednesday's draft of at least