One of the core tenets of peer reviewing is to approach your review with kindness and consideration, in order to ensure the writer feels eager to return to their piece, rather than discouraged and ready to give up. But, as Op-Ed Best Peer Review winner Audrey Sioeng (US) reminds us, giving a kind review does not mean only praising a piece; giving thoughtful feedback that will help strengthen the piece is equally important. As Audrey says, “We all love compliments, but for a writer who is looking to improve their piece, constructive criticism and advice is even more valuable.”
Learn more about Audrey’s advice for her fellow peer reviewers and op-ed writers, as well as her favorite genre to write in!
The piece you reviewed, “On American Values” by Yellow Sweater, was named a finalist in the competition. How does it feel to know your review helped contribute to its success?
I personally find editing other people’s work even more fulfilling than writing, so the fact that Yellow Sweater found my comments helpful and took some of my critique into consideration made me very happy! Her piece was already very strong and I had actually been keeping my eye on it as she edited it prior to writing up this review, and as I said in the comments, there wasn’t a whole lot to change. “On American Values” stimulated a lot of thought on my end, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my two cents on the topic and help make a brilliant piece even stronger.
Our Guest Judge Naomi Zewde praised your review for advising the writer to “acknowledge the gray” in their argument. Are there any op-eds or op-ed writers you admire who do this well?
Actually, I didn’t know op-eds existed as a separate sub-category of journalism until this competition, and even then I was pronouncing it wrong! What I am familiar with though is argumentative essays, and there are too many brilliant essays I’ve read during my years of English classes to pick out just one or a few. Rather, I credit my current and past English teachers for instilling in my classmates and me the importance of making nuanced arguments that factor in possible rebuttals. I believe it was actually brought up in “On American Values” itself, where Yellow Sweater discusses how truths are rarely absolute. The same would go for opinions on the truth. Adding a counter argument demonstrates that you are aware of the context in which your essay takes place (as you are probably not the first person to opine on any subject).
What advice do you have for a first-time peer reviewer?
I would tell them to not be afraid of giving actual critique and to take full advantage of the annotation tool. We all love compliments, but for a writer who is looking to improve their piece, constructive criticism and advice is even more valuable. I also really appreciate the annotation function because it allows us to interact with the piece more closely, share immediate reactions (good or bad), and give the writer insights on what parts of the piece are effective.
What is your favorite genre to write in?
My favorite genre to write in right now is poetry. I often see really vivid images in my head, and with prose I usually have a hard time conveying them. That being said, I really enjoy dabbling in other genres because they are all so powerful in their own unique ways, and I think being versatile as a writer can be an important strength.
