For any peer review activity, the professor should direct student efforts by developing and distributing guide sheets of suggested response criteria. When evaluating papers, instructors must evaluate writing as part of a process, be aware of student reactions to professor comments, and provide clear, helpful comments. Mark early drafts and papers strategically. On the first paper, it may be best to provide feedback without giving grades. Focus on two or three main areas needing improvement.
Students react poorly to papers that have been liberally splashed with red ink.
Limiting comments improves the likelihood that students will attempt to improve the paper and saves the instructor time. Other areas needing improvement can be dealt with in turn. Just as writing is a process, so is the act of improving writing. Treating writing as a process and knowing how students react to professors' comments can help instructors effectively communicate with students, making the time spent on evaluation more efficient. Studies show that students like a combination of margin and summary comments because it gives them a sense of dialogue, a sense that the reader is talking with them.