How to Peer Review

If there’s one thing that might be a little more challenging than writing your own paper, it’s being asked to review your peers’ work.

At some point in your studies, you’ve likely been asked to take part in a peer review assignment in which you read through your classmates’ work and provided feedback. Writers are often taught about the importance of grammar, so it can be easy to get caught up in only addressing mechanical errors as opposed to other important aspects of writing. Although revising and editing are sometimes treated as the same task, they are actually quite different. Note: For more on Revising versus Editing, please see the Stone Writing Center (SWC) handout on this topic.

During peer reviews, readers are expected to look at the details of the written piece and the writing as a whole. Below are some ideas and questions to consider when reviewing someone else’s work:

CONTENT

Determine how the content of the writing, the material the author has written, aligns with any instructions, prompts, or other guidelines.

Consider:

• Does the writing respond to and address the prompt?
• Are you, as the reader, able to understand the writer’s main idea?
• Does the main idea satisfy the expected goals of the genre and criteria of the assignment?
• Does the writer use appropriate supporting details and explanations to develop the main idea?

SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

Effective writers establish a clear purpose for writing that is well supported through fully-developed paragraphs. This means providing logical explanations for all ideas and topics of discussion.

Consider:

• Are the writer’s claims empty, or is there adequate evidence/support?
• Is every paragraph fully developed?
• Do any paragraphs seem rushed or underdeveloped?
• Does the writing stay on topic throughout every paragraph? Are the paragraphs each focused on one idea or claim related to the topic?
• Are there any instances of rambling, going off topic, or relaying unnecessary information?
• Is the main idea incorporated into each paragraph or section? If there is a thesis statement, is it developed and present throughout all parts of the writing?

ORGANIZATION

When writing is well organized, ideas flow into one another smoothly and the overall connection among paragraphs is cohesive.

Consider:

• Is the writing organized in a logical order?
• Is there a beginning, middle, and end, or an introduction, body paragraph/s, and conclusion?
• Does the writing’s organizational structure improve or disrupt the flow of information?
• At any point, do the writer’s ideas seem difficult to keep track of or follow?

When reviewing a peer’s work, consider these questions as you read to help you identify important aspects of writing.

Note: When completing a peer review assignment for a course, carefully read through the assignment instructions and be sure to consider any preferences your instructor may have. For more on understanding assignment instructions, please see the Stone Writing Center (SWC) handout on this topic.

Writing the Application Essay

Hello, Roxy Readers! It's scholarship application and college admission season! Are you ready to apply? Here are some some helpful tips to get you started. You can find this same resource under Additional Resources on our website at delmar.edu/swc. Good luck!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. 'Til then, hang ten!

Roxy 

APPLICATION ESSAYS

Writing an application essay for a scholarship or admission into a university or college is something most students will have to do at some point. These essays often differ significantly from a typical English essay, and with so much riding on them, writers should aim for their best. Although each individual essay will be as unique as its writer, there are a few basic strategies for an effective application essay.

WHAT ARE THE READERS ASKING FOR?

The first step in writing an application essay is to figure out what the essay prompt is asking. As with most writing, look for key words and phrases. Is the prompt asking you to demonstrate your personal qualities, your academic experience, or both? How do your readers expect you to illustrate these qualities? Sometimes an essay prompt will ask you to talk about a singular experience that illuminates your knowledge or capabilities. Others may be broader, asking you to discuss why you would be a good fit for a particular program or how a scholarship would help you pursue your career dreams. In any case, start with determining what the essay needs to contain before you begin writing, and pay close attention to the details.

FORMAT

It is also important to look carefully at any format requirements. Most application essays require a shorter length, some as short as 500 words or less, so the length should be taken into consideration as you plan your essay. Also, check for any font or other style requirements. Be as certain as possible that your writing conforms to your readers’ expectations because most documents of this sort are one-chance opportunities. Inattention to detail may not help you make a great first impression and could cost you the opportunity.

WRITING THE ESSAY

Because most writing of this sort will be limited in length, use every word to your advantage. Regardless of the prompt, as you draft, keep in mind the purpose of the text. Every single word or character counts, so staying on topic is vital. Deviations from the prompt or unnecessary information can take away from the main points, so think carefully about what you include.

Keep in mind that you are likely sending your essay to a committee that will read hundreds, if not thousands, of similar letters. Make sure yours stands out and grabs their attention, in addition to covering the topic/s. One way to do this is to avoid any broad, sweeping statements or cliché language (e.g., “I’ve always wanted to change the world” and similar expressions), and instead stick to specifics.

LETTERS OF INTENT AND PURPOSE STATEMENTS

In a letter of intent or purpose statement, often written as part of an application to a university program, you will likely be asked some form of the following question: How will your previous experience enable you to succeed in this program and/or what do you hope to gain professionally? When drafting such a letter, especially if it can only be a certain number of words, answer these questions as fully as possible without shifting topics. To do this, focus on specifics, and only include details that contribute to your message. As you draft, take breaks to read over your work and ask, “Does this sentence say something about who I am as student and who I want to be? Am I still answering the prompt question/s?”

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Essays for scholarship applications will require the same attention to detail as letters of intent, but the prompt may differ, depending on the scholarship. Some scholarships are for a particular program or subject, while others are designed to assist first-generation, underserved, and other student populations. Some essay prompts may ask you more personal, less academic questions. As with academic applications, though, stay on topic for better clarity.

For example, some scholarship applications may ask you to describe a time in your life when you overcame adversity or another broad, personal question. In such a case, choose your response carefully to make an impression and, more importantly, showcase your best qualities. Most people have overcome some sort of adversity in different ways throughout their lives, but the example you write about needs to say something impactful about who you are and show your unique qualities as an individual.

COVER LETTERS AND OTHER APPLICATION ESSAYS

Applications and cover letters for employment or other career endeavors may ask you to provide even more unique and specialized information, but as you’ve likely noticed, the majority of these essays and letters can be approached in similar ways. When writing cover letters for job applications, treat the job description the same as a prompt for a scholarship or other essay, reviewing it carefully and looking for key phrases and words. For instance, if a job’s qualifications include proficiency in mathematics and effective communication skills, it may be wise to focus on specific examples that demonstrate how your academic and work experience has equipped you with these abilities.

MAKE EACH WORD COUNT

Because your essay will likely have a shorter length requirement, remember to make every word count. The following comparison of two short examples shows how to say more in a certain amount of space. The prompt for these examples requires writers to discuss their academic achievements and explain how these achievements will benefit the program.

My degree from Del Mar College will help me succeed in and complete this program. I completed numerous classes on topics closely related to the field, and I am familiar with the basics of engineering. I made As in most of my classes and was a member of the Engineering Club. With the skills I have learned through my degree, I am well-equipped to enter this program.

My Associate’s in Electrical Engineering from Del Mar College taught me the terminology and mathematical requirements needed to succeed in UT’s Bachelor of Engineering program. Completing courses like High-Reliability Soldering and serving in the extracurricular Engineering Club gave me the technical knowledge necessary to thrive in this program.

The first example is vague; it does not mention the degree attained, the program being applied for, classes taken, or any specific skills, but the second example mentions all of these.

While the second example makes every word count, the first contains wordy phrases and unnecessary information (i.e., course grades because a transcript is part of the application).

Last, with this writer limited by word count, the second example succeeds again. By being specific, the second example says more in 49 words than the first example does in 67. The key is conciseness, or saying as much as possible using only as many words as necessary.

LAST THOUGHTS

Whatever sort of application essay or letter you may need to write, there are several basic strategies to tailor for your use: Read the instructions carefully, identify the goal, be specific, and make every word count. Applying these strategies will help you write more competitive application materials, increasing your chance of getting the scholarship, university acceptance letter, or job interview you seek. As with any other writing, the Stone Writing Center can always provide guidance on these essays as well.

About Plagiarism

Hey there, Roxy Readers! Wow! We have been super busy helping our students. One issue we've encountered in our tutoring sessions is understanding plagiarism. I'm sharing information from our Stone Writing Center website to help you if you're facing this same concern. Hope this helps!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and our waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

PLAGIARISM INTRODUCTION

Most students know it’s not okay to copy and paste someone else’s writing into a document and pass it off as their own. However, there are times when students are trying to paraphrase or are quoting a source where things are less black and white, and the concept of plagiarism can become unclear.

In most of your college writing assignments, you’ll be asked to use information from outside sources. Therefore, it is essential you know how to avoid plagiarism and why writers should properly give credit to the authors of those sources.

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

In brief, plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas as your own. In other words, if you take someone else’s ideas and use them in your paper without giving proper credit, you are plagiarizing. Penalties for plagiarism can range from a failing grade to academic suspension. Although, most of the time, plagiarism is unintentional, it is still each student’s responsibility to learn how to properly attribute material to the original author/s.

CITING CORRECTLY

A common mistaken belief is that citations are only needed for direct quotes, but this is not the case. Generally, you should provide a citation for any information that is not common knowledge or your own ideas. For example, you wouldn’t need a citation to write that the sky is blue because that is common knowledge. However, if you write that the sky is blue because blue light is reflected by particles in the atmosphere more than other colors, your reader may expect you to provide a citation.

CAN’T I JUST PARAPHRASE?

Another possible misconception regarding plagiarism is that paraphrasing means taking a sentence from a source, changing a couple words, and providing a citation. However, paraphrasing is more than just changing a word or two. Rather, it is taking another person’s ideas and putting them in your own unique words.

Still, any lengthy series of words taken verbatim from a source need to be placed in quotation marks. A rule to keep in mind is when four or more consecutive, verbatim words are used from a source, place them in quotes.

If you have any questions about whether or not your paraphrased material is too close to the original, you can ask your professor or speak with a consultant at the SWC before submitting your assignment.

STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM 

WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE

Many students worry that too many citations makes it appear that they are relying too heavily on source material and not thinking for themselves. While some assignments will require you to use more of your own words and ideas, if you are in doubt about whether to cite something, it is wise to go ahead and cite it. This way, you do not have to worry about being accused of plagiarism if the sentence in question reads more similarly to an idea taken from one of your sources than to your own ideas. Because plagiarism is considered a fairly serious offense in academia, it is better to be safe than sorry.

TAKE NOTES

When conducting research, it’s a good idea to write down the bibliographic information for your sources in addition to what you plan to use from those sources. Make sure you have, at the very least, the author’s name and title of the work to help you cite your source material later. In addition, be sure to place appropriate quotation marks around material taken directly from your sources so you do not confuse it with your own thoughts. Otherwise, you might forget where you got a particular piece of information and/or whether or not it is in your own words. It can be anxiety-inducing to be nearing a deadline but unable to find the citation details for a source. To avoid this stress, record bibliographic information as you research.

It is also helpful to think of this notetaking as a halfway point between initial research and writing the paper. Breaking down your source material by putting the author’s argument and main points into your own words helps you to better understand the sources with which you are working. Moreover, active notetaking is good practice for putting the author’s ideas into your own words.

UNSURE ABOUT SOMETHING? ASK!

As with most issues in writing, the best thing to do when you are confused about something is to ask. Maybe you aren’t quite sure if you paraphrased well enough in a section of your writing, or perhaps you fear you may have too many or too few citations. If you find yourself in such a situation, reach out to your professor for guidance. Other resources, such as the Del Mar College Libraries and SWC, are here to assist you as well.

The Summer of 2023

 

SWC - Here, There, and Everywhere!

Hello, Roxy Readers! Are you wondering where I've been? If you're a local, we are here at our new campus, Oso Creek. Take note! We have FOUR Stone Writing Center locations to better serve our students - Heritage, Windward, Oso Creek, and online at delmar.edu/swc.

I'll be back soon with writing tips for you.

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. 'Til then, hang ten!

Roxy 

Frequently Asked Questions, Part 1

 

Hi there, Roxy Readers! The Stone Writing Center helps lots of students each semester, and I’ve noticed that many of the same questions pop up time and time again. I’ve gathered the top 10 most frequently asked questions that come up when writing an essay to share with you, starting with the first five.

1. What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement is an important part of any essay because it tells the reader what you are talking about. The thesis statement is often the last sentence in your introduction and sets you up to talk about your main idea throughout the rest of your paragraphs. You might think of your thesis statement as your main argument in the essay. Even if you are not writing an argumentative essay, if your thesis statement is your argument, then the rest of your essay is you trying to prove that argument to your reader. This handout has some tips for writing a thesis statement and an example.
2. What is good academic word choice? This is another one that can be easy to catch but just as easy to do by accident. It is always important to use good academic word choice in your writing, but we often write in the same way that we talk, using second-person pronouns or contractions. These words that we use in our everyday speech would not be good academic word choice. Keep an eye out for words like, “you,” “we,” or “our,” and others like, “they’ve,” “it’s,” or “can’t.” While we might use these types of words all the time when we talk, it is important to find other words in our writing. With contractions, it can be as simple as spelling out the two words, but with second-person pronouns, it can be a little trickier. I’ve found that words like, “one,” “people,” or even, “they,” can be good replacements for words like, “you,” in an essay. 
3. What is a sentence fragment? Sentence fragments are sentences that can’t stand on their own, and they can be easy to miss sometimes. Remember that two main things are important for a sentence: a subject (noun) and an action (verb). A helpful tip to identify fragments is to read your writing aloud. If you ever catch a sentence that doesn’t quite make sense on its own, then chances are that it might just be a fragment. Check out this Fragments handout for more information.
4. What is a run-on sentence? On the other end of the spectrum from sentence fragments, we have run-on sentences. Usually, we may think of a run-on as a sentence that is just too long, going on and on. Run-on sentences are a bit more common than that and can even found in shorter sentences. A run-on sentence is a sentence that is missing important punctuation. For example, if you are using two complete thoughts or independent clauses in a sentence, they will usually need a comma and a conjunction to separate them. For example, “Jim is running and he is jumping,” is actually a run-on sentence. We can fix this one up by simply putting a comma before the conjunction, “and.” That will give us a compound sentence instead! You can find more information about run-on sentences here.
5. What is a comma splice? Now this one is very similar to the run-on sentence. With a run-on sentence, a sentence can be missing a comma before the conjunction. Comma splices, on the other hand, are missing the conjunction after the comma. Going back to our example, the sentence, “Jim is running, he is jumping,” is a comma splice. We can fix this sentence in almost the same way that we did before. Here, we would just put a conjunction, like the word, “and,” after our comma to make this into a compound sentence. See this helpful handout on comma splices for more examples.

I hope I’ve been able to answer some of your writing-related questions today, Roxy Readers, and stay tuned for the rest of our frequently-asked questions!

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Roxy

Worthy of a Repeat: Do I Really Need a Tutor?

Wow, Roxy Readers! A lot has happened in the last couple of years, and SWC is settling into a new space. Since we're so busy helping students right now, I'm sharing some really important info with you again. 

See you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view. ‘Til then, hang ten!

Roxy

Hello again, Roxy Readers! We’re well into our fall semester, and we are very busy helping students with their first major writing assignments. Are you working on your paper, too? You may think that you’ve got this, but even the best writers need help sometimes. If you’re asking yourself whether you need a tutor, the answer is yes, you do.

I’ll walk you through the different stages of writing and demonstrate how a tutor can help you with each one.

1. Unpacking the Assignment Sheet: Sometimes there’s a lot of information, and it can be a little confusing. No worries. We got this! We’ll help you understand the prompt and other assignment requirements like documentation style. Having a set of trained eyes look over your assignment sheet can really help you be ready to tackle that paper!
2. Brainstorming: So now you understand the assignment, but you don’t know exactly what to write about. We can chat with you and help you bounce ideas around. We’ll sit with you as you capture your ideas and get a lead for THE idea for your paper. We can even talk you through organizing your ideas so that you can be one step closer to beginning a draft. 
3. Outlining: An outline can be a great help in organizing your thoughts especially if you’re really stuck. The outline functions as a little roadmap for your paper. We can review sample outlines and make sure that your ideas are organized according to your professor’s instructions.
4. The Actual Writing Part: We find that it it’s most productive when you can do this on your own, but if you’re stuck on a sentence or a paragraph, we will gladly help you work through your writer’s block! We are also whizzes at APA and MLA and everything in between! We can help you integrate sources and polish your works cited pages. Our citation game is so strong that it will blow your socks off!
5. Revising and Editing: We will read through your paper and point out areas that could use some improvement. We can also give you mini lessons on things that may need some extra attention. For example, we can walk you through a lesson on fragments, word choice, citations, and much more! We want to empower you so that you’re able to revise and edit your own paper. We will gladly help you along the way, but it is YOUR paper, not ours.

Believe me! You will benefit from any and all of these things when visiting with one of our tutors. I know that I didn’t cover everything because there are so many things that the SWC does, but we want you to feel comfortable coming to us for any sort of writing question. There is no question too large or too small for us to tackle. Come see us, say Hi, and meet our tutors. We look forward to meeting you!