How do you know you have a peer review to do on Canvas?
Canvas tells you in several places. Instructure’s student guide says you can see peer review notifications “in the Recent Activity Stream, the To Do list, and from the individual assignment page,” and “Once peer reviews are assigned, you will also be notified via email.”
| Where | What to click | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard, Recent Activity | Show More on the peer review entry | An anonymous review shows the name as Anonymous User |
| To Do list (Dashboard or course Home sidebar) | Peer Review for [Assignment Name] | The due date shown there may be wrong |
| Assignments page | Required Peer Review | Not listed for On Paper or No Submission assignments; use the Dashboard |
| The assignment itself | Your classmate’s name under Assigned Peer Reviews | A caution icon means not done, a check mark means done |
Two rules catch people out. Instructure’s overview says “Students can only view peer review assignments or discussions after they have submitted their own work,” so a missing review usually means your own submission isn’t in yet (why Canvas may not take a submission). And the To Do list “does not accurately display the due date for completing your peer review.” If the assignment details don’t give a review deadline, ask your instructor.
How do you submit a peer review on Canvas?
From the assignment page, in a web browser. These steps follow Instructure’s guide for the standard assignment page:
- In Course Navigation, click Assignments, then click the assignment’s title.
- Under Assigned Peer Reviews, click the name of the classmate whose work you are reviewing.
- Read the submission. Click the assignment name to download it, or click View Feedback to preview it. Where annotation is supported, that opens DocViewer, and you can comment right on the submission.
- If there is a rubric, click Show Rubric, select a rating or enter points for each criterion, and click Save Comment.
- If there is no rubric, type a comment, attach a file or leave a media comment, and click Send Comment. Instructure says you are “required to add at least one comment.”
- Refresh the page. A check mark next to the classmate’s name means the review is complete.
Check your rubric before you save it: “After you save the rubric, you cannot edit it to change your comments or ratings.” And you review without seeing anyone else’s opinion: “You cannot view any existing feedback submitted by another student or the instructor.” A rubric with no point values still has to be filled out, and your instructor may ask for a comment as well as the rubric.
Why does your Canvas peer review page look different?
Your school may have turned on Assignment Enhancements, a newer assignment page with its own set of Instructure student guides. The steps match, but some labels change:
| Step | Standard page | Assignment Enhancements |
|---|---|---|
| See your reviews | Assigned Peer Reviews in the sidebar | Required Peer Reviews drop-down menu |
| Fill out a rubric | Show Rubric, then Save Comment | Fill Out Rubric, then Submit |
| Comment instead | Comment field, then Send Comment | Comment, file or media comment, then Send Comment |
| Know it’s done | Check mark next to the name | A confirmation message |
| Read feedback you got | Show Rubric and the Show Assessment By menu | View Feedback button, View Rubric and the Select Grader menu |
The drop-down sorts your reviews into ones that are “ready to review,” ones “not yet submitted but require peer review” (your classmate hasn’t turned in work yet), and “completed peer reviews.”
How do you peer review a Canvas discussion?
From the discussion itself. Instructure’s steps: click Discussions in Course Navigation, open the discussion with the Peer Review icon, click Review Now, add a comment or fill out the rubric, and click Save. “A message will appear on your discussion to confirm you have completed the peer review.”
- Access Denied? Instructure says: “If you see an ‘Access Denied’ message when clicking the Review Now link, reply to the discussion first, then click the Review Now link.”
- Checkpointed discussions. “Peer reviews are only auto-assigned to students who have met all participation requirements,” so finish the initial post and the required replies.
- No anonymity. “Discussion peer reviews cannot be anonymous.”
Our guides on writing a discussion post and responding to a discussion post cover the posting side. Whether you can edit or delete your own reply afterwards is a course setting (can you delete a discussion post on Canvas?).
Are Canvas peer reviews anonymous?
Only if your instructor set them up that way. In an anonymous review, the work you review shows as Anonymous Student, and Instructure says “the student cannot see your name as the reviewer when you leave a comment to complete the review.” On the receiving end, “the name of the reviewer will not be included in any feedback.” A few more details from Instructure’s overview:
- “Email notifications sent to students about peer reviews are anonymous.”
- “In anonymous peer reviews, you cannot leave comments in DocViewer.” Use the comment sidebar or the rubric.
- Once a review is assigned, the setting can’t be switched without deleting and reassigning the review.
- Anonymity is between students. “Instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) can still view the names of student reviewers in SpeedGrader.”
How do you see the peer review feedback you got on Canvas?
Instructure lists five places to look:
- Recent Feedback in your course sidebar. Click the assignment title to see all submission details and comments.
- The submission details page. Comments appear there. If classmates annotated your file, click View Feedback, “the same link where you may be able to view feedback from your instructor.”
- The rubric. Click Show Rubric. If several classmates reviewed you, use the Show Assessment By menu to switch between their assessments.
- The assignment page. Peer comments appear in the Submission box, but only for assignments that require an online submission.
- Your Grades page. The comment shows there too.
Seeing comments but no rubric scores is normal: “Peer review rubric ratings remain hidden until your instructor posts the grade, even if peer review comments are visible.” Instructor comments are also hidden until the assignment is posted. On a group assignment, you see peer review comments for every review of your group’s submission.
Can you do a Canvas peer review in the app?
No. Instructure’s guide says “You can only complete peer reviews in the web version of Canvas,” and its overview lists the newer Peer Review Allocation and Grading features as “Not supported in the mobile app.” Open Canvas in a web browser to write the review.
Where Silent Student fits
We make Silent Student, a desktop app for Mac and Windows that works Canvas quizzes, essays, discussions and file uploads through your own login and holds written work for your approval. Peer reviews aren’t on that list: a review is your judgment of a classmate’s work, so it stays yours to write. More: Silent Student on Canvas.
Questions people ask
Why can’t I see my peer review on Canvas?
Usually because your own work isn’t submitted yet. Instructure says students can only view peer reviews after submitting their own work. For On Paper or No Submission assignments, look on the Dashboard instead of the Assignments page.
How do I know my Canvas peer review is complete?
A check mark replaces the caution icon next to the classmate’s name under Assigned Peer Reviews. You may need to refresh the page to see it.
Can I change a peer review after I submit it?
Not a rubric review. Instructure says that after you save the rubric, you cannot edit it to change your comments or ratings.
Can the other student see that I reviewed them?
Yes, unless the review is anonymous. In an anonymous review the reviewer’s name is left out of all feedback, though instructors and TAs can still see it in SpeedGrader.
Why can’t I see my peer review scores on Canvas?
Peer review rubric ratings stay hidden until your instructor posts the grade, even when the comments are already visible.
Can I do a Canvas peer review on my phone?
Not in the Canvas app. Instructure says peer reviews can only be completed in the web version of Canvas.
Sources
All fetched and checked October 29, 2026.
- How do I know if I have a peer review assignment to complete? (Instructure, student guide)
- How do I submit a peer review to an assignment? (Instructure, student guide)
- Where can I find my peers’ feedback for peer reviewed assignments? (Instructure, student guide)
- What are Peer Reviews? (Instructure)
- How do I know if I have a peer review assignment to complete using Assignment Enhancements as a student? (Instructure)
- How do I submit a peer review to an assignment using Assignment Enhancements as a student? (Instructure)
- Where can I find my peers’ feedback for peer-reviewed assignments using Assignment Enhancements as a student? (Instructure)
- How do I know if I have a peer review discussion to complete? (Instructure, student guide)
- How do I submit a peer review to a discussion? (Instructure, student guide)
- Where can I find my peers’ feedback for peer reviewed discussions? (Instructure, student guide)
How this guide was made. We read each Instructure guide listed above on October 29, 2026 and quote them directly. Instructure updates these guides often, and the labels can differ if your school uses newer feature previews. We wrote the guide with AI assistance and checked each quote against its source, then re-checked every quote against the live pages on November 2, 2026.
Related guides: Can you delete a discussion post on Canvas? · What happens when you resubmit on Canvas? · Why won’t Canvas let me submit? · How do What-If grades work in Canvas? · Why is my Canvas total grade hidden? · What happens when a Canvas quiz time limit runs out? · All guides · Canvas
Written by the company that makes Silent Student. Silent Student is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instructure. Canvas and Instructure are trademarks of Instructure, Inc.