UC Irvine — Information & Computer Science — ICS 139W — David G. Kay

Changing the System: Peer Review Guidelines for the Change Proposal

As you read and comment on each other's papers, keep in mind the purpose and audience of the paper (that is, to convince decision-makers to support the proposed changes).

1. Read your classmate's paper once through without making any comments. Then, write down briefly your first impressions:


1. Do mechanical errors get in the way of reading it?


2. Is it well organized and easy to follow?


3. Does it do the job? If you were the decision-maker, would you spend money on this proposal (given that you have many other good things to spend the money on)?


2. Read it again, more carefully, making written comments .Focus your comments on the organization and content; don't spend much time proofreading for spelling or grammatical errors (which the author should have cleaned up already).


3. Write down brief answers to these questions:


1. Does the author give the decision-makers the right level of information? Is too much (or to little) assumed?


2. How is the paper organized? Can you draw a clear outline or flowchart?


1. Does the opening paragraph make the reader want to read more?


2. Do the paragraphs follow one another to build a convincing argument?


3. Is there any place where a concept is mentioned that isn't explained until later in the document?


4. Does the closing paragraph summarize the reasons for making the change?


3. Does the author make a convincing case? What else would help persuade the decision-maker?