Peer Editing Sheet - Essay Six

Elizabeth Losh


This peer editing sheet should take 30-40 minutes to complete.  Your section leader may ask you to download two peer editing sheets from the web, if you are reading two different people's essays. 

Remember that it is important to get feedback to the other person promptly and well before the final draft is due so that the writer can use your comments in the revision process. 

Your section leader may allow you to use e-mail or you may contact your partner in the dorms or by telephone to discuss your criticism so the revision process can progress quickly.  Overly general or uncritical comments in peer editing will lower your class participation writing grade.

This peer editing sheet includes page references to the Writer's Handbook, but you may also want to point out helpful passages from Writing from A to Z.  Remember that both books have alphabetical indexes!


1. Read the essay through.  In your own words, paraphrase the counterargument to Beitz here:




2. Is the thesis arguable (page 122)?  Were you persuaded by the argument?





3. Does the thesis relate to specific techniques of passage analysis (pages 46-47)?




4. Mark the most interesting idea in the essay.  Indicate where this interesting claim on your partner's paper.  Does this interesting idea relate to the thesis?  If not, would you recommend revising the thesis?




5.  What are the important key terms in the essay?  (See pages 80-81.)   List them below.  Are these key terms defined?  (See pages 41-42.)






6.  Did the writer make original claims about the logical organization of the passage (pages 112-116)? Why or why not?




7. Did the writer focus on a particular argument fallacy and develop a sustained critique?  Or did the writer list fallacies (pages 117-120)?  What strategy would be more successful and why?




8. Which of the six strategies of counterargument (page 123) did the author use to focus the argument?  Is there another strategy for counterargument that would have been more effective?




9. Does the writer qualify his or her claims with the four techniques to acknowledge a counterargument (pages 123-124)?  Remember that being conscious of the context of how Beitz methodically goes through different philosophical approaches to international relations will be important for understanding what Beitz is saying in this passage.





10.  Which section of the Writer's Handbook would you recommend that the writer read to write a better paper?  List the pages below.





11.  Which section of Writing from A to Z would you recommend for final editing and proofreading for grammar and mechanics?  List the pages below.