New Forums Press publishes scholarly book reviews and review essays on a regular basis. We welcome inquiries and suggestions regarding potential future reviews and review essays. Please send ideas to:
Michael Strawser, Ballarmine University, Book Review Editor, at [email protected]
and/or Russell Carpenter, JFD Editor, at [email protected]
Guidelines for Book Reviews
A book review should be approximately 800-900 words. A review essay (two or more books) should be approximately 1100-1200 words. At the top of the review, please place all required information about the book: title, author, publisher, date, page numbers, and price.
Example: The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions (2nd ed.), by Peter Seldin. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing, 1997, xiv + 268 pp. $24.95
This information should be followed by this statement:
Reviewed by [reviewer’s name]
Please include your name, position, and institutional affiliation at the conclusion of your review.
Example: Charlie Sweet is Foundation Professor at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY.
The entire submission must be double-spaced. Please submit a copy of the review in MS Word as an e-mail attachment.
The review should contain the following:
- A brief description of the book’s contents.
- A scholarly evaluation of the book–including its contribution and relation to existing literature and trends in the field, its strengths and weaknesses, and its unique qualities (if any).
- A brief description of the appropriate audience for the book.
- Note: “The best reviews teach the readers something about the field in addition to announcing and describing a book….The more analysis, synthesis, and evaluation you can provide in a review, the more its potential value.” (Erwin, R. W., Jr. [1992]. Reviewing books for scholarly journals. In J. M. Moxley [Ed.], Writing and publishing for academic authors. New York: University Press of America).
Please forward all communications to: Felicity Grandjean, [email protected].