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Dec 19, 2009, 4:12am

ANSA UK :: Research & Reviews :: Book Reviews :: BOOK Review GUIDANCE

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mbstone
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BOOK Review GUIDANCE
« Thread Started on Jun 5, 2008, 11:24pm »

These guidelines are not intended to tell you exactly what a review should be like; rather they are offered as hints about points a review might consider, as well as suggesting some pitfalls to avoid.

What is the purpose of a book review for ANSA?
The principle aim of a book review is to appraise critically both the material in the book and the way in which it is presented.

Who should review a book for ANSA?
Any book considered for review will have been sent by the publisher with the express purpose of receiving feedback from an ANSA representative. As such it is important that any book to be reviewed is handed on to a member of ANSA. It is also preferable to consider which member might have a specific knowledge base in the area covered in the book. Members of the executive will be key to suggesting members they know who may be suitable for review.

How should the review process work?
Once a book review request has been received this will be passed on to the Journal Editor (JE). The JE will then contact all executive members to ask for suggestions of members who may be appropriate to provide a review and it will be advertised on the forums. The book will then be sent directly to the nominated/applying reviewer who will forward their review to the JE to approve and pass on to the Publisher. The reviewer will keep the book. All reviews will be acknowledged in the JE annual report.

What should it contain?
• Context: for a review to be accessible to as many readers as possible a review needs to contain something about the context in which the book is written.
• If it is a textbook, does it reflect current best practice in teaching and the principles of the subject?
• Does it stand up to current research and substantiate that research?
• Overview: what are the contents? This should not be a list of chapters or sections, but rather summarise the main themes of the text; more details on the material can emerge in the body of the review. For a collection of papers it is important to say something about each paper, preferably pulling together groups of papers with similar topics.
• Readership: what is the intended readership? Does the book address that particular level and/or meet a different readership? Does it make plain any pre-requisites there are for reading it?
• Comparison: particularly for textbooks it is likely that similar material has already appeared in other books. One way of dealing with this is in a comparative review; if you have suggestions about books which might be usefully compared with the text in question, let the review editor know. Otherwise please make comparisons with earlier books. Reviews – cross-reference would be useful.
• Appraisal of ideas: are these novel, how do they fit into research in the subject and more widely? It is useful for a review to present a summary of the most important concepts which the book introduces. For a research monograph, this is the heart of the review.
• Production: are there any particular problems with the form of the book? Are there substantial numbers of typing inaccuracies or errors in the technical material? Are contents, index, glossary and bibliography adequate? Are any backup materials available on the internet? If so, can you comment on what is available and its quality?
• Conclusion: what is your overall assessment of the book? What are its best and worst features? Would you buy it, recommend it, use it?

Word count
There is no preferred length of review although a typical review might be between 500 and 750 words; reviewers should judge the appropriate length in the light of the guidelines and the book in question. However, if the publisher requests a specified length then this should be acknowledged.

Suitable book for review may be sent to:

ANSA
37 Star Street
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 7AA

Suggestions for reviews should be sent to the JE

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