Blackburn

RC 1000
Research Project—Peer Review Guidelines

1. If it is in written-form, is the project formatted using MLA convention (i.e., double

spaced, 12 pt. font, Works Cited page, etc.)? If it is not a written text, is it still
academic and research driven?
Yes, it is not formatted due to it being a documentary, but it is academic and
research driven

2. Does the project meet the required length and integrate the required number of
sources with in-text quotes and parenthetical citations?
Yes

3. Does the author introduce the argument and the ​rhetorical

situation/contexts​—social, political, historical, cultural—for this project?
Yes, social/cultural/historical
4. What is the ​purpose​ of this text? What does the author hope to achieve?
(Provide a brief summary of the project and the author’s main points.)
To explain how college students tend to gain weight (Freshman 15) when first coming to
college and how to avoid this happening to the audience.
5. What is the writer’s attitude/​tone​ toward the subject?
Excited to help, motivated
6. What authorities does the writer rely on or ​appeal​ to in order to make her/his
argument?
USDA, Authors, and his own research
7. Who is its intended ​audience​, and how do you know?

Incoming Freshman or current Freshman because they would be the only ones who would
need this information

8. Ethos​: Explain the character and background of the author and how that
influence the text’s overall effectiveness. Is this person credible and trustworthy?
Why? What is this person’s bias? What do you know about him or her that would
influence your interpretation of the text?
The narrator appeals by being realtable, making him seem trustworthy. He doesn’t seem
biased but provides statistics with his own research and proves his points in helping
several people who may need it.
9. Pathos​: Describe the emotional appeals within the text and how they influence the
text’s overall effectiveness. What emotions do the author appeal to? How? Are these
emotional appeals effective? If so, for whom?
 He puts us in the mood of how we feel when we smell good food that we like, such as
the smell of the dining hall and the Chic-fil-a. He appeals to our senses for when we
are hungry.

10. Logos​: Describe the logical appeals within the text and how they influence the
text’s overall effectiveness. What logic, reason, facts, statistics are presented? What
evidence is used to convince the audience? What facts are used in the argument?
What and whose logic?
He uses statistics from the USDA and even his own research by interviewing fellow
students at Appalachain State University and asking them questions pertaining to their diet
and possible weight gain

11. Do you see ​logical fallacies​ in play?

Hasty Generalization. (We all have that feeling…)

12. Do you see ​enthymemes ​in play, and do they function as rhetorically useful or
disruptive?
That we need to avoid the Freshman 15. It is useful because most people want to lead
healthy lives.
13. What do you suggest for the author in terms of strengthening the project?
Maybe make it more of an argument