 In this video, we'll discuss the role that you should play when participating in peer review. Students often feel unsure of what role they should perform as a peer reviewer. Here are some things to keep in mind. First, you are not the teacher. It's not your job to pass judgment on the merits or faults of the text. Similarly, you're not a proofreader. You're not merely looking for typos and other minor problems to fix. Most importantly, you are not the writer. You can make suggestions, but you should not try to revise the text yourself or explain how you would do it differently or otherwise make decisions for the writer who is ultimately in charge of what ends up on the page. Instead, you are first and foremost a reader. Readers are active participants who seek to understand, engage with the writer's ideas and genuinely respond to what the writer is trying to say. As a reader, you should empathize with the writer, even if you can't exactly relate to their experiences or don't share their perspective. When reviewing a peer's writing, you should consider yourself a friendly reader. Opening up to criticism can cause a great deal of anxiety, particularly for people who have had negative or limited experiences with writing in the past. If you only pay attention to problems in your feedback, you might discourage your peer and you'll likely overlook areas rich with potential. As a peer reviewer, you should provide both positive comments and critical comments. Critical comments highlight areas for improvement or ask clarifying questions. For example, I'm unclear about what you're trying to accomplish in this paragraph or how does this example connect back to your main argument? Positive comments, on the other hand, highlight strengths and offer reinforcement for what's working well. For example, your argument is coming through really clearly here or this description of your childhood home is so vivid, I can imagine being there. As a peer reviewer, you are on the writer's team. You are optimistic and encouraging, but you're not just telling them what they want to hear. Your goal is to help them improve. While you should definitely offer criticism where it's needed most, you should strive to provide at least as many positive comments as critical ones. As this video has shown, the primary role of a peer reviewer is to be a friendly reader. As a friendly reader, you can empathize with the writer's perspective, respond intellectually and emotionally to the writer's work, provide critical comments that identify areas in need of improvement, and balance these with positive comments to encourage and reinforce the writer's strengths.