Resource Writing

Identify some of the leading magazines in your field that publish book reviews. One way to do this is to search for an online article database or something like Book Review Digest if your library has access. Using some keywords from your field, limit your searches to evaluate comments and mark the journals in which the results were published. For example, you are reviewing a book on the history of the development of public libraries in nineteenth-century America. The book includes a chapter on the patronage role of wealthy women in securing public libraries in the late 1800s. In this chapter, the author argues that previous studies did not consider the role of women because most of them were widows who transferred their financial rights in libraries on behalf of their husbands. The author argues that the history of public library patronage, and indeed cultural patronage, should be re-read and possibly reworked given the evidence presented in this chapter…

If the book review editor says yes, he would like to get a book review from you, be sure to ask if the magazine has any instructions for submitting a book review. Specifically, you want to make sure you understand how long a review of their books usually takes. Another reason you want to contact the book review editor is that they can often give you the book for free. Publishers often send books for review to colleagues directly in journals or, if the book editor contacts them directly, directly to you. Of course, you do not have to wait for a book to start peer review as long as you have access to a copy of the library. If you get the book for free, be sure to write a review..

Examples of how researchers write book reviews

There are some reviews that are as detailed and critical as academic book reviews. You may have spent half your life writing your great opus just for a prickly professor to make fun of your ideas. However, in an ideal world, an academic book review should contain constructive criticism, an honest assessment of good and evil. The reviewer should set aside his ego and explain how the book contributes to the overall conversation. Magazines as an industry are becoming more and more involved in social media..

An example of a thesis on the connection between the book and the course topics:

The most common problem you encounter is a purely descriptive summary; it really is more of a summary. This may sound simple, but for any post you write about, good reviews always follow the instructions for that post. In the case of International Relations, draft revisions should not go beyond words and should focus exclusively on the book under consideration. The text should be clearly written and in line with the style of the IA house — «educational excellence and the possibility of achieving style». It is especially important that interested readers unfamiliar with the topic be able to enjoy the review, as they are unlikely to be experts in any of the areas covered by the reviews section….

bocconilegalpapers.org

Twitter can act as a forum where you can contact prominent thinkers in your field, no matter where they are. It can also help build your credibility with publishing companies when it’s time to start proposing your book ideas. Sure, it should give readers an overview of the book’s content, but a good overview doesn’t stop there. While a book review is not a place to discuss your research or advance an agenda, it should include your book review and your views on how it might be helpful in the area. First, it must be critical and evaluative…

The book review editor will never send you a new book unless you submit the first one. Before you start writing a review, check with the book review editor of one of the magazines. This is an important standard practice; in particular because most journals do not accept unsolicited reviews. You do not want to write a full book review and submit it to the magazine just to be told that they do not accept unwanted comments or that this book will be reviewed in the next issue..

Most major IR / International Studies journals have Twitter profiles, as do all major publishing companies. For appraisers, social media can be a great tool for interacting with authors and publishers..

On the other hand, if your audience has already read the book — for example, a class assignment for the same job — you may have more freedom to explore more subtle points and focus on your arguments. The middle paragraphs give a summary of the different parts of the book. Many scientific reviewers like to do this chapter by chapter, but you can also use a thematic approach. For example, if you are considering a translation, you may consider separately the quality of the translation, the value of the notes and apparatus, the presentation and completion of the volume, and so on….