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HOC Questions
LOC Questions
QUESTIONS TO ASK
IN PEER REVIEW
Distinguishing Between HOC & LOC
Clear Focus/Thesis/Assignment Goals
Organization
Development
Paragraphs/Sentences
Words/Style
What is the writer's position (i.e. main point,
thesis)? Is the writer's position clearly
communicated to the reader?
Is the writer addressing the assignment and
fulfilling its requirements?
What evidence does the writer provide to
support their position?
Does the evidence used support their position
and is it persuasive, specific enough and cited
properly if obtained from another source?
How is the piece of writing organized? Does
the writer follow a logical sequence that guides
the reader through their reasoning?
Does the piece of writing address an audience
in an effective way?
Are transitions needed? What about other
organizational cues, such as headings and
subheadings (especially if called for by a
specific discipline)?
Is the piece of writing overall effective? Does
the writer accomplish their goals?
Before responding to peer writing, it is important to first sort
your comments based on their level of concern (i.e. higher
order concerns and lower order concerns). Higher order
concerns (HOC) consist of the larger issues in a piece of
writing that may interfere with the overall meaning of the
work and/or the effectiveness of the argument. Lower order
concerns (LOC) are those that can typically be addressed in a
later draft. Thus in order to maximize the time used for peer
review, it is important that peer reviewers focus on addressing
HOC issues before LOC issues.
Adapted from the George Mason University Writing Center
(http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources) and
"Writing Tools for Planning and Revision" by Erin Herrmann
(https://prezi.com/km_re12w_odt/writing-tools-for-planning-and-revision
/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy)
Created by Brenna Kirk, June 2016
Follow Us @ECUWC University Writing Center
East Carolina University
Schedule an appointment with us at
https://ecu.mywconline.com
Are the "mechanics" of the piece of
writing correct (i.e. sentence structure,
sentence phrasing and word choice,
grammar, punctuation, and spelling)?
Are the sources used properly cited (both
in­text and at the end) using a specific
style guide (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)?
Is the piece of writing also formatted
appropriately (spacing, page numbers,
headers, etc.)?
Are there stylistics issues that reoccur or
stick out (i.e. wordiness, use of vague
pronouns like "this" and "it")?