PEER EDITING (200 Level Courses ONLY)
Peer editing is important aspect of the Literature classes (NOT ENGL 103) class. All writers rewrite the work they create, and as we learn the writing process, editing and rewriting our work allows us to fine-tune our material to best reflect what we have to say. Very often, however, it is difficult to reread one's own material and find errors or discrepancies, as the brain has a tendency to fill in the intended meaning as one reads through his or her own work.
We will be doing peer editing in this class, more for the benefit of the students than anything else, but there is a grade factor here as well if it is listed in the ASSIGNMENT. The Peer Edit Exchange is part of your grade. You receive credit for doing one, and you receive credit receiving one. SEND ME THE PEER EDIT YOU RECEIVE>
There are several ways to accomplish the peer editing assignment. One approach is to have a student read your paper and fill out one of the peer editing forms located on the web site. Another option is to have the reader write a paragraph about YOUR paper that discusses content and clarity, use of text and the like. This is not a review. Whether or not the reader LIKED your paper is not relevant. We are looking for analysis of your work from a collegiate standpoint. Then attach this commentary...or forward a copy of it if it came to you via email...and send it to me.
Thus, peer editing comes into play.
To engage in the peer editing process on line, contact a fellow student through the chat room or the message board. Agree as to the method of exchange of papers (mail, email attachment, email text, etc). Use a Peer Edit Sheet to respond to another classsmate's work. Having another pair of eyes scan through a document for content, clarity and cohesiveness can make the difference between an A and a B. The editor him- or herself also gains through the process by getting a new perspective on the assignment. Both individuals win.
PLAGIARISM (ALL CLASSES)
You will also need to submit your paper to TURNITIN.COM for plagiarism analysis (mostly to see how effectively you are using your resources).
Essentially, we are looking for your ability to utilize both primary and secondary source material without stealing it or buying it. That means you have to be able to directly quote from those resources and cite them appropriately to show that you're using someone else's words. Furthermore, paraphrased claims and statistics should also be cited. Some people have a very difficult time with this, either because their training in other school systems has told them that using someone else's work is okay, they have not learned the appropriate formatting, or they're just lazy. Even before the Internet there have been plenty of ways to buy college and high school essays; with the plethora of online resources available, it's very simple to find something you think is going to fulfill the assignment.
If your paper is submitted and it is in any part from a free or for purchase research paper mill, like free-essays.com or Ihateschool.com, it will be considered plagiarized and therefore will fail. Furthermore, if your paper is submitted and it has any part of another student's paper (or even your OWN paper), either from my class or another class, it is also considered plagiarized or will fail. (In most cases, you'll be limited as to the online research websites that will be acceptable for resources in the class .)
When you submit your paper to TURNITIN.COM, it will indicate TO YOU what passages are from other works, and anything that is highlighted in color should be in quotation marks or at least noted as being from another source. If you find that you somehow made a mistake, intentionally or otherwise, you can always revise your paper and resubmit it for reevaluation.
The final paper will be submitted to TURNITIN.COM by you. I will not grade a paper that is not submitted to this website. If in the course of the class I come across something that looks suspicious, I may run a paper or a message board discussion through the website myself. If there's a problem, I will contact you. The point is that I want your work and your research because you're learning a skill here... eventually somebody is going to ask you to write a research paper that shows that you know how to use resources legally and accurately. Furthermore, for those who do real research and learn how to quote and cite accurately, it is only fair that everyone else is held to the same standard.
To begin, log onto the turnitin.com website.
SIGNING UP
First, click on USER LOGIN. If this is your first time, you will have to sign up for TURNITIN by clicking at the CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED line at the top of the page. All you need is a VALID email address and a name. Once you have signed in, you may then choose to go directly to your class.
LOGGING IN
First, click on USER LOGIN. Each time you log in to TURNITIN you will be asked for the email address (it must be the COMPLETE address) and the password you created when you signed up for TURNITIN. Input this information in the appropriate boxes. Be sure to designate STUDENT status in the section below the email and password login. Click SUBMIT and you are in. Select your course by inputting the course code and passwords (listed below). Your class will be listed on your page. Click on the class name. A series of tabs will appear that include CLASS PORTFOLIO, ASSIGNMENTS, TURNITIN!, PEER REVIEW, CALENDAR, CLASS NOTES, and PREFERENCES. Choose TURNITIN! to submit a paper. Once in, COPY the text of your paper and PASTE it into the text section of the page. If you have a WORKS CITED or bibliography, DO NOT SUBMIT. It will artificially raise your percentage. Be sure to title your work. You will receive a confirmation that you have successfully submitted your work via email.
103
turnitin.com
Course code: 34882321
Password: darkstar
213
turnitin.com
Course code: 25109991
Password: darkstar
103/213/291/293 Honors
turnitin.com
Course code: 25109991
Password: darkstar
For on-line peer editing, contact a student in CHAT or by posting on CANVAS in the discussion folders for the work (103) or through contact in a presentation discussion (Honors and 213). Exchange a paper. Read it. Look at the flow, content and format of the paper. Look for lack of text, lack of/inaccurate use of terminology, lack of support, lack of logic. Offer helpful suggestions. Be honest, but tactful. Post your responses to your partner by email. Have a copy of the email you RECEIVE for me. When your paper has been edited, copy the text of the edit onto a Word doc and send as part of your submission of your paper to me, placed at the end after the Works Cited Page.
I hope this will be beneficial to you and your writing process.
