As a reviewer, also pay attention to your judgment when you read — is the essay persuasive or merely informing you about something? Are you absolutely clear about the topic and thesis of the paper? Are you persuaded by the arguments? Are the arguments clear, factual and logical? Is the paper convincing or does it seem weak or have flaws? Are there reasoning flaws/fallacies? Is the paper’s thesis clear by the end? Does the paper have a clear and structured narrative throughout? Does it consider at least three reasonable opposing arguments or points? Is there sufficient research? Is the material well – and properly – documented? Are the sources strong and credible (scholarly, academic, scientific, etc.)? Is the writing properly done? Are the three appeals used (ethos, logos, pathos — terms which we’ll continue to explore in coming weeks)? Try to imagine you’re an opponent, even if you agree with what the person is arguing. We tend automatically to approve of things that we already believe in or agree with. We also are inclined to pick holes in arguments that oppose our beliefs. Be objective and fair, but tough — that’s what I’ll be when I mark this assignment. These papers need to do their best to persuade an opposing person of a specific action or point of view, by using different appeals(ethical, logical, and emotional), by acknowledging opposition fairly, and by documenting that thorough research was done.