Peer Review Checklist: Accuracy & Respectful Framing

Accuracy

• Every factual claim is supported by a cited source.
• Dates, names, and terms (pinyin, Chinese characters) are spelled consistently and match the sources.
• The zodiac is described as a cultural tradition and calendar system, not as science or proven prediction.
• Quotations match their sources word for word, with the source named.
• The writer distinguishes between what sources say and their own interpretation.
• Claims about "all" of a culture are qualified — the draft acknowledges regional and personal variation.

Respectful Framing

• The tradition is presented from the perspective of the people who practice it.
• The draft avoids exoticizing language ("mystical Orient," "ancient secrets") and stereotypes.
• Cultural practices are explained, not judged against the writer’s own culture as the default.
• If the draft discusses appropriation, it distinguishes appreciation (learning, crediting, contextualizing) from appropriation (taking without credit or context).
• People are never reduced to their zodiac sign — traits are framed as tradition and story.
• The draft credits its cultural sources the same way it credits its academic ones.

Feedback

Answer each prompt honestly and specifically enough that your partner can act on it.