Journal Book Review Guidelines

Rosamina Lowi, Review Editor

Selecting Materials to Review

When choosing books, software, or audio materials to review, consider what makes them worthy of consideration: What are their important features? Stated objectives? Any limitations? How well did the texts work for you and your class? Try not to choose texts that have more negatives than positives?there are too many good ones out there!

Format

1. Length: Approximately 500 to 1000 words (maximum)

2. Page format: Typed, double-spaced, at least 1" margins; please keep paragraphs under 100 words

3. At the top of the first page include:

  • complete title of the text, with edition number
  • complete name(s) of author(s)
  • publisher, publisher's address (city & state), date of publication
  • your name, title, school, address, and phone number

4. Keep references to a minimum, but be consistent; see American Psychological Association Manual for guidelines.

Writing the Review

Before you write your review, read some of those that have appeared recently in the CATESOL Journal.

Pay careful attention to your organization: Work out a plan before you begin; for some writers a prewriting activity such as outlining can help sort out ideas and identify main points. If you dislike outlining at the start, write a rough draft and then make an outline from it; if the draft refuses to resolve itself into a structure, perhaps it needs reorganizing.

The way a review is written can vary a great deal, of course, but it should contain:

  1. A brief (50 words or less), provocative opening paragraph that contains new information, mention of some salient feature of the materials, or perhaps a strong opinion. The purpose of the first paragraph is to inform readers while enticing them to read further.
  2. A brief description of the text, including a statement about the intended audience.
  3. If relevant, a description of the students with whom you used the materials.
  4. The things you liked best.
  5. The things you didn't like or that you think could be improved (identifying a few shortcomings will give your opinions credibility; no materials are perfect).

Editing

  1. Edit for sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; proofread carefully: Use a spell check if you have one and a grammar handbook; have someone else read the review for clarity, assumptions, or unclear ideas that you may be too close to observe.
  2. Buzz words: Explain buzz words (e.g., "comprehensible input")?not all readers will be familiar with concepts discussed.
  3. Gender usage and names:
  • Avoid using he/she, his/her, him/her; instead use plural nouns, rearrange the sentence, or try omitting the possessive pronoun and see if the meaning is preserved.
  • Refer to individuals by first and last names on first mention and by last name subsequently: Dion James is editor of the Review section. James is taking over the column from Ramona Reeves.
  • Do not use titles; say June McKay as opposed to Mrs. June McKay or Dr. June McKay.

Articles that appear in The CATESOL Journal may be revised by the editor for clarity, style, and length.

Finally, don't be discouraged if your review is rejected. Some interesting, well-written contributions are returned because of time and space limitations or because they were not appropriate for the Journal. But what one publication rejects may be exactly what another is seeking. After each return, however, improve your material if you can, and always feel free to submit another review to our Journal or Newsletter.

Submit completed reviews to:

Rosamina Lowi, CATESOL Journal Book Review Editor
UCLA
Email: catesolbookreviews@yahoo.com