Book Review Guidelines

Papers should be approximately 1500 – 2000 words, or four to five pages, double-spaced, paginated, and include a title page with a word count.

BOOK SELECTIONS MUST BE APPROVED BY ME.

A HARD COPY OF THE PAPER SHOULD BE TURNED INTO TO ME BY NO LATER THAN 11:30 A.M. ON THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2014. THERE IS NO FLEXIBILITY WITH THIS DEADLINE. IF THE PAPER IS TURNED IN LATER THAN 1 P.M. YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE.

 ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE OPTION OF TURNING IN THEIR PAPERS BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT THIS PAPER ON TIME, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE, PER THE PROVOST’S OFFICE

The first paragraph should include the title of the book you are reviewing, author’s name, year of publication and the author’s argument or thesis. The next few paragraphs should describe how the author supports his or her argument, including types of evidence used

The second part of the paper – which is optional – can be a description of what other reviewers in scholarly journals have said about the book. Reviews from amazon.com and similar web sites are not acceptable. These reviews MUST be footnoted. Remember, if you can find a review, I can find it as well.

The third part of the paper should be YOUR assessment of the book. Do NOT skimp on this part of the paper. Essentially you are stating whether or not you buy the author’s argument and why. This section is NOT about discussing whether or not the author’s prose is good or bad.

Writing Tips

1. Have a thesis or because statement.
2. Book titles should be italicized or underlined.       The same goes for magazine titles. Articles and chapters in magazines and books should have quotation marks.
3. “For example” are essential words for a well-argued paper.
4. Do not forget basic information such as who, what, where, and when.
5. Have a great title!
6. Use footnotes. This means footnoting the book you are reviewing where appropriate as well as attributing any other reviews you may incorporate into your work.

Footnote template for titled book review:

Anne Throckmorton, “European Lives is Wonderful,” review of European Lives: The Book, by Tom Porter, Sixteenth Century Journal 42 (2010): 332.

Footnote template for untitled book review:

Anne Throckmorton, “Review of European Lives: The Book, by Tom Porter,” Sixteenth Century Journal 42 (2010): 221.

1. Use your own voice! Do not string together quotes from other book reviews.       If you paraphrase other book reviews, you still have to footnote.
2. Do not use wallpaper quotes.
3. You do not have to cite lectures.
4. Do not use contractions.
5. Spell-check is not always your friend.
6. Do not filibuster in your paper. (I am an old hand at it and I will know if you are doing it!)
7. Do not use epic, Beowulf-length quotes. (A more devious form of filibustering.)
8. Get someone to proofread your paper, preferably someone unfamiliar with your topic.
9. Rigorously proofread your own work several times.
10. Avoid “history of the world” introductions such as, “Since the beginning of time, communities have always accused strange people of witchcraft.” These kinds of introductions say absolutely nothing.