Building Scholarly Writers: Student Perspectives on Peer Review in a Doctoral Writing Seminar

Peer review was used as a primary pedagogical tool in a scholarly writing course for social work doctoral students. To gauge student response to peer review and learning as a result of peer review, the instructor used narrative analysis to organize student comments into themes. Themes identified included initial trepidation, “no pain, no gain,” and writing as relationship. Students transitioned from cautious reluctance about peer review to embracing it as a necessary part of the writing and publication process. As a profession that values collaboration, social work doctoral programs may benefit by encouraging peer support to enhance student writing and scholarly productivity.