Sunday, August 26, 2012

Why Should I Ask a Peer to Edit My Work?

Peer editing is a sure way to ensure that your post is addressing your audience well and that you catch all mistakes or issues that you might have missed in your own work. A peer can give you candid feedback, particularly if you establish that for which you want the editor to seek. That is, let your editor know if you have concerns but also allow your editor to look for issues that you might have missed.

In the past, I have had peer editors catch mistakes in punctuation and spelling, in verb tenses, in citations and missing references, in poorly stated arguments, in ambiguity, and in other style and mechanics. No matter what the editor says, do not take the comments personally but recognize that an editor can make you look better.

A peer editor can work off a printed copy of your page, can work on text in an electronic document (like Word or Google Docs), or can work in the actual virtual space where you are publishing. I never suggest that you give your password to your editor, but you can login and allow the editor to work directly in the space. The issue with this is that if the editor makes a change with which you might not agree, you may not see the change. The best way to get comments is to ask your editor to write on a printed copy or, better yet, to comment with tracked changes and comments in a word-processing document so you can review comments, learn from the editor's markings, and make the changes that you need.

When you do ask a peer to edit your work, allow enough time for the editor to give the document a quality review. If you procrastinate to get a late draft to your editor, your editor will need to rush through your work and thus may not be able to give you as quality of a review as possible.