The original writing of this assignment was something I felt confident with because I simplify complex terms daily in my professional life. Working in a dental office I regularly have to explain to patients the steps of a procedure so we can obtain consent to begin treatment. During the original writing process of this assignment I was trying to think of what I would say to a patient who needs a root canal. A challenge I faced when doing this was there are certain words that I am familiar with, but I sometimes forget the general population would not know what it means.
The peer review portion was an interesting process. I developed an understanding of how overwhelming it is to first try to learn something that you know nothing about. When peer reviewing my classmates work, I realized how important it is to have an organized structure to your writing. My classmate did a great job including subheadings to separate the information and create an easy flow for the reader. I also learned throughout this process that I have a strength in attention to detail by noticing minor grammatical errors and missing citations. This helped me gain confidence in my writing skills. To know that I am able to help a fellow classmate improve their writing skills also contributed to my confidence as a writer.
The most impactful part of this assignment for me was the editing process. I learned how to select the right level of detail for a specific audience and situation. For example, I am around dental terms all day and they have become so familiar to me that I forget they are not common words for the general public. I edited a few parts of my writing to include parenthetical definitions of certain terms like “crown” and “antibacterial” to help the reader better understand the material. I also realized the need for visuals to have corresponding descriptions. When first selecting the visual of a root canal procedure I understood the picture right away so assumed others would too. My classmate that peer reviewed my work suggested I include the steps that the visual is showing so they know what they are looking at. That was a very eye-opening experience for me and helped me recognize the importance of being specific and direct when defining a complex term.
To conclude, I have learned that I need to take my time when writing in order to select the right level of detail for the situation. I understand the importance of peer reviewing to gain an alternate perspective of writing styles and learn your own strengths along the way.
My revised assignment: Revised definition assignment
My peer’s review of my original work: Assignment-1.3-Peer-Review (1)