Benefits of Peer Review

For decades, peer review has been a practice that's been emphasized in American schools. Students are taught how to examine their classmates' work, to offer suggestions and to point out areas that they feel could be improved. This process, like many other things emphasized in the school system, can continue to be a useful, real world tool if practiced and applied properly.

What Peer Review Is

Peer review, simply put, is asking a peer to review a project before any final judgments are made. Often the reviewer finds spelling and grammar errors, gives feedback on the concept proposed, and gives an opinion on whether they actually like the work they reviewed.

Selecting A Peer

Peers who review should be knowledgeable about the area they're reviewing. If you are undertaking a philosophy paper, your peer should have more than a working knowledge of the field, for instance. Additionally, this peer should be honest and able to offer constructive criticism.

Benefits

Having someone else review your work can bring a fresh perspective, which can often spot errors or miscalculations that you yourself didn't notice. Additionally, your peer will often be able to point out whether something is clear.

Downsides

If the wrong peer is selected, he might make poor suggestions or offer unhelpful criticism to belittle your work. It's also not unheard of for a person to have her idea stolen by a peer who was "reviewing" her work.

The Right Tool For The Job

A person needs to have the proper project (ideally one that isn't of a sensitive or developmental nature) when submitting to a peer review. The reviewer needs to be a peer that can be trusted.