Offering Constructive Criticism
Responding to writing pieces is the primary work of a writing group. A careful
and thoughtful review will better the writer and strengthen the writing group.
The following statements are suggestions for offering constructive criticism.
- Tailor your review to the needs of the writer. Before reviewing
a piece, it is important to understand the purpose of the writing, the intended
audience, and what stage of the writing process the piece is in.
- Start the review with a positive statement about the writing piece. Every
writing piece has a strong point, whether it is an opening paragraph, careful
word-choice, or the kernel of a great idea.
- Be forthcoming with your criticism. Graduate students join
writing groups to improve their writing. Holding back significant and legitimate
criticisms impedes this process.
- Focus the critique on the writing. Avoid directing your comments
at the writer. A comment, "The introduction needs a stronger opening," is
preferred over "you have problems with opening a paper."
- Use your voice when making comments. Begin phrases by acknowledging
that the comments are one perspective. Phrases like "in my opinion" or "my
reading of the paper" establish this tone.
- Mark the key points. Clearly make explicit your primary points of
concern. These key points should be prioritized by the degree to which the
affect the writing piece.
- Be specific with your comments. Avoid making generalizations about
the entire piece without providing specific examples. The comment, "The
organization of this paper needs to be improved" is of little help
without further clarification. Marking directly on the writing piece is a
helpful way to specify your main points of concern.
These guidelines are meant to shape the tone and quality of your review. Accompanying
this form is the "Reviewer Feedback" template
(downloads a word document). It can be used to organize your comments.
