{"id":6321,"date":"2026-06-05T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T10:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/?p=6321"},"modified":"2026-09-18T15:28:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:28:35","slug":"how-to-set-up-a-canvas-peer-review-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/how-to-set-up-a-canvas-peer-review-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"How to set up a Canvas Peer Review Assignment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group page-navigation has-base-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-1 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8a0c5c70 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:8px;background-color:#6184d8;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small)\">\n<p class=\"post-nav-title wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol style=\"margin-top:5px;margin-bottom:5px;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li id=\"introduction\" class=\"Introduction\"><a href=\"#introduction\">Introduction<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\"><a href=\"#create-peer-review-assignment\">How to create a Canvas Peer Review Assignment<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#anonymous-peer-reviews\">Ensuring Peer Reviews remain anonymous<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#anonymity-settings-explained\">Anonymity settings explained<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#setting-requirements\">Setting Peer Review requirements<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#best-practices\">Best practices<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\"><a href=\"#further-support\">Further support<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"introduction\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Canvas Peer Review<\/strong> is <mark>an integrated assessment tool that <\/mark>enables students to give feedback on another student&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an instructor, you control whether peer reviews are assigned <em>randomly<\/em> or <em>manually<\/em>, as well as whether reviewer and reviewee names are visible or hidden. To access their assigned peer reviews, students must first submit their own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"create-peer-review-assignment\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Create a Canvas Peer Review Assignment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 1:<\/strong> Start by creating a <strong>File Upload<\/strong> assignment in the usual way that you would in Canvas. For guidance, see: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/creating-file-upload-assignments\/\">Creating File Upload Assignments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8c1616f6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#96299e;padding-top:8px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-e3e626ed wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;flex-basis:8%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/12\/information-icon.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1042\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:30px;height:30px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:92%\">\n<p class=\"has-base-5-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-small-font-size wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px;padding-top:8px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:20px\">To enable Peer Review, the assignment\u2019s <strong>submission type must be set to either Online<\/strong>, <strong>On Paper<\/strong> <strong>or<\/strong> <strong>No Submission<\/strong>. Canvas peer review does not support the <em>External Tool<\/em> assignment submission type.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 2:<\/strong> In the assignment settings, under <em>Peer reviews<\/em>, tick the <strong>Require peer reviews<\/strong> option to enable peer reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"511\" height=\"91\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-enable.png\" alt=\"Require peer reviews option\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-enable.png 511w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-enable-300x53.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 511px) 100vw, 511px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 3: <\/strong>Select whether you would like to manually assign peer reviews yourself or let Canvas do the work by automatically assigning peer reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"515\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-settings-cropped.png\" alt=\"Option to select manual or automatic assignment of peer reviews\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-settings-cropped.png 515w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-settings-cropped-300x131.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8c1616f6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#96299e;padding-top:8px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-e3e626ed wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;flex-basis:8%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/12\/information-icon.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1042\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:30px;height:30px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:92%\">\n<p class=\"has-base-5-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-small-font-size wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px;padding-top:8px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:20px\">If you decide to user peer reviews with an <strong>On Paper<\/strong> or <strong>No Submission<\/strong> assignment type, then peer reviews must be assigned manually.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you select to assign <em>automatically<\/em>, a couple of additional options appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile has-border-color has-base-2-border-color\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"499\" height=\"247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-assign-settings.png\" alt=\"Assign automatically - Additional options\" class=\"wp-image-6424 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-assign-settings.png 499w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-assign-settings-300x148.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These options allow you to select the number of <em>reviews assigned per user<\/em>, as well as the option to choose a specific <em>date<\/em> when you would like Canvas to automatically assign reviews to students. If you do not select a specific date, Canvas will assign reviews on the assignment&#8217;s <em>due date<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 4:<\/strong> Select whether you would like peer reviews to be <em>anonymous<\/em>. When enabled, students won&#8217;t see who wrote the feedback they receive, or whose work they&#8217;re reviewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"510\" height=\"107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-anon.png\" alt=\"Anonymity option \" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-anon.png 510w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/peer-review-anon-300x63.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 5: <\/strong>Click <strong>Save &amp; Publish<\/strong> if you are ready to publish your peer review assignment, or click <strong>Save <\/strong>if you would like to publish it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"503\" height=\"97\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/image-1.png\" alt=\"Save and publish button\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6344\" style=\"aspect-ratio:4.96636840481333;width:364px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/image-1.png 503w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/image-1-300x58.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 503px) 100vw, 503px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STEP 6: <\/strong>Check that the assignment is using a <strong>manual grade posting policy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to the <strong>Gradebook<\/strong> and find the column for the peer review assignment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the three dots then select <strong>Grade Posting Policy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check that <strong>Manually<\/strong> is selected. This ensures that grades and instructor feedback remain hidden until they are manually released.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-x-small-font-size is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-90a055c5 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"562\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Grade-posting-policy.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6739\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.8740249325654298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Grade-posting-policy.png 562w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Grade-posting-policy-262x300.png 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 562px) 100vw, 562px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"452\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Manual-grade-posting-policy-setting.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Manual-grade-posting-policy-setting.png 452w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/08\/Manual-grade-posting-policy-setting-241x300.png 241w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"anonymous-peer-reviews\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ensuring Peer Reviews remain anonymous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When setting up a Canvas peer review, you have the option for reviews to appear anonymously. This means students do not see the name of the person they are reviewing, and the student receiving the peer feedback cannot see who left the comments. Using anonymous peer reviews can help reduce bias, support more honest and constructive feedback, encourage fairness and reduce pressure on students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We recommend enabling <strong>Peer Reviews Apper Anonymously<\/strong> within the Peer Reviews settings to ensure peer reviews remain anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1024x651.png\" alt=\"Canvas assignment settings showing peer review options. \u2018Require peer reviews\u2019 and \u2018Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously\u2019 are selected.\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6814\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5639395690580369;width:482px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1024x651.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-768x488.png 768w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1536x976.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity.png 1804w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8c1616f6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#96299e;padding-top:8px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-e3e626ed wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;flex-basis:8%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/12\/information-icon.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1042\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:30px;height:30px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:92%\">\n<p class=\"has-base-5-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-small-font-size wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px;padding-top:8px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:20px\">Canvas does not support anonymous annotations. When peer review anonymity is enabled, students will not be able to add in-line comments or annotations when reviewing a submission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"anonymity-settings-explained\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anonymity settings explained: Anonymous grading <em>vs<\/em> anonymous peer reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canvas peer assignments have two separate <em>anonymity<\/em> settings that are easy to mix up but serve very different purposes: one ensures fair marking by hiding student names from instructors; the other keeps peer feedback honest by hiding names from students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-c7ebd8d6 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anonymous grading<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This setting is controlled by the <strong>Graders cannot view student names<\/strong> option, found in the <em>Anonymous grading<\/em><strong> <\/strong>section of the assignment settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"193\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading-1024x193.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading-1024x193.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading-300x57.png 300w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading-768x145.png 768w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading-1536x290.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/assignment-settings-anonymous-grading.png 1938w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enabling <em>anonymous grading<\/em> hides student names from the instructor while they&#8217;re marking submissions. The instructor sees submissions labeled as <em>Student 1<\/em>, <em>Student 2<\/em> etc., instead of real names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This reduces unconscious bias in marking and affects the instructor&#8217;s view only.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Anonymous peer reviews<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This setting is controlled by the <strong>Peer Reviews Appear Anonimously<\/strong> option, found in the <em>Peer Reviews<\/em> section of the assignment settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1024x651.png\" alt=\"Canvas assignment settings showing peer review options. \u2018Require peer reviews\u2019 and \u2018Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously\u2019 are selected.\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1024x651.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-768x488.png 768w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity-1536x976.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-review-settings-anonymity.png 1804w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enabling <em>anonymous peer reviews<\/em> hides the identities of both the reviewer and the student being reviewed from each other during a peer review assignment. Neither student can see who wrote the work or who left peer feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It only changes what students can see: instructors can still see names on both reviews and submissions, unless <em>anonymous grading<\/em> is also turned on for that assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anonymous peer reviews encourage more honest and unbiased feedback.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How anonymity settings affect what you and your students can do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If <strong>Graders cannot view student names<\/strong> (<em>anonymous grading<\/em>) is enabled, you will not be able to see student names in SpeedGrader and submissions will appear anonymously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If <strong>Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously<\/strong> is enabled, students will not see who wrote the feedback they receive, or whose work they&#8217;re reviewing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If <strong>Graders cannot view student names<\/strong> is enabled but <strong>Peer Reviews Appear Anonymously<\/strong> isn&#8217;t, you will not see student names in Speedgrader, but students will still see whose submission they&#8217;re reviewing and who left them feedback.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enabling <em>anonymous grading<\/em> and\/or <em>anonymous peer reviews<\/em> will not affect what you see in the <em>Peer Reviews<\/em> area. Student names remain visible there, regardless of the anonymity settings you choose, so you will always be able to view and adjust peer review allocations as well as track completion status.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1015\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area-1024x1015.png\" alt=\"Screenshot showing how peer review allocations appear in the Peer Reviews area, with each student\u2019s assigned reviews listed.\" class=\"has-border-color has-base-2-border-color wp-image-6835\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.0088204054615704;width:504px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area-1024x1015.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area-300x297.png 300w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area-768x761.png 768w, https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/peer-reviews-area.png 1516w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Example of allocations displayed in the Peer Reviews area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"setting-requirements\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting Peer Review requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 1: Decide how you would like students to provide peer feedback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should decide before setting up the peer review how you want students to provide feedback, as this will shape the instructions, settings, and support students receive. For example, you should consider whether students will complete a rubric, leave assignment comments, or use in-line comments and annotations where available. Making this decision in advance helps ensure students understand exactly what is expected of them and reduces the risk of feedback being submitted in the wrong place in a format that is difficult to review, or the feedback being released prematurely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Options for leaving peer review feedback<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Canvas, students can usually provide peer review feedback in three main ways: by completing a rubric, by leaving assignment comments, or by adding in-line comments and annotations to the submitted work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rubrics (recommended option<\/strong>)<br>Rubrics are the recommended method for collecting peer review feedback because they provide a clear, structured, and consistent way for students to assess work. They help students understand the assessment criteria and focus their feedback on the intended learning outcomes.<br><br>Importantly, rubrics make it easier for staff to review the peer feedback, and control when this feedback is released to students. When feedback is provided through a rubric, it will not be released to students until grades are posted by the instructor, giving staff greater control over when peer feedback becomes available.<br><br>Rubrics can be created and added to the assignment using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/managing-rubrics-in-canvas\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/managing-rubrics-in-canvas\/\">the usual Canvas rubric process<\/a>.<br><br>Once a rubric is attached to a peer review assignment, students will automatically see and be able to complete it during the review &#8211; no additional peer review settings are needed. The rubric is available to both staff and students for grading and peer feedback. Without a rubric, students can&#8217;t leave structured feedback and they&#8217;re limited to free-text comments, or in-line comments (when anonymity is turned off).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Assignment comments<br><\/strong>During a peer review, students can add free-text comments to the <em>Assignment comments<\/em> area within the submission. Because free-text comments aren&#8217;t structured, they can affect the quality and consistency of peer feedback. You should also be aware that assignment <strong>comments are visible to the reviewee immediately<\/strong>. If you don&#8217;t want students to receive peer feedback before grades are posted, we&#8217;d recommend using rubrics instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In-line comments and annotations<br><\/strong>In-line comments and annotations can be helpful when detailed comments need to be linked directly to specific parts of a submission, such as sections of text or images. However, in-line comments and annotations are <strong>not available for anonymous peer reviews<\/strong>, so they cannot be used where anonymity is required. They can also be less suitable for collecting consistent feedback across a cohort, as students may focus on different parts of the submission or provide varying levels of detail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8c1616f6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#faba25;padding-top:8px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-e3e626ed wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;flex-basis:8%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/12\/light-bulb.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1110\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:35px;height:35px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:92%\">\n<p class=\"has-base-5-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-small-font-size wp-elements-5 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px;padding-top:8px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:20px\"><strong>Rubrics are the recommended method for giving peer feedback<\/strong>, as they promote consistency. Avoid free-text comments, since these become available to the reviewee immediately. In-line comments are not available for anonymous peer reviews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STEP 2: Provide clear student instructions before the peer review starts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s crucial that students are given clear instructions in advance so they understand exactly what they are expected to do to complete a review, and what they should avoid doing. The instructions should explain the required feedback method, the level of detail expected, and whether the review is anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Using a rubric is recommended<\/strong> because it provides a structured way for students to complete the peer review. When feedback is provided through the rubric, it will not be released to students until grades are posted, giving staff greater control over when peer feedback becomes available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8c1616f6 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:8px;background-color:#faba25;padding-top:8px;padding-right:8px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-e3e626ed wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0;flex-basis:8%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/12\/light-bulb.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1110\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:35px;height:35px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:92%\">\n<p class=\"has-base-5-color has-base-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-small-font-size wp-elements-6 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-top-right-radius:8px;border-bottom-right-radius:8px;padding-top:8px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:20px\">If you don&#8217;t want peer feedback released immediately, explicitly ask students not to add it in the Assignment comments area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"best-practices\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting up Peer Review: Best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Decide whether peer reviews should be anonymous before you create the assignment and reviews are assigned. Avoid changing peer review anonymity settings once the assignment has been created as this may affect what students and staff can see.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Decide what students must do to complete a review and how they should deliver feedback. We recommend using rubrics to facilitate structured peer feedback, and avoid using assignment comments as these become visible immediately and cannot be withheld for later release.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set clear expectations: Tell students what they must do for their peer review to be considered complete.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let students know that assignment comments left during peer review are visible to the reviewee immediately, even before instructor grades and feedback are released, but feedback entered via a rubric only becomes visible once grades and feedback are released.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If anonymity is a requirement, remind students to keep their submissions and peer feedback anonymous &#8211; no names, student IDs or email addresses in their submission, file names, attachments or peer feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"further-support\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The article below offers additional guidance and practical tips to help you prepare for a successful peer assessment implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-teaching-college wp-block-embed-teaching-college\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nQh3B89moe\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachingcollege.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/staff-guidance-peer-assessment\/\">Staff Guidance: Peer Assessment<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cStaff Guidance: Peer Assessment\u201d \u2014 Teaching College\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachingcollege.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/staff-guidance-peer-assessment\/embed\/#?secret=QXaW2IGlR9#?secret=nQh3B89moe\" data-secret=\"nQh3B89moe\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article guides you through creating a peer review assignment in Canvas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":6435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6321"}],"version-history":[{"count":68,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6878,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321\/revisions\/6878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elearning.fse.manchester.ac.uk\/getting-started-with-canvas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}