I.  General Remarks

A book review or precis should be informative and meaningful to someone who has not read the book in question.  An effective review should contain an analysis of the author's thesis (point of view), a discussion of his (or her) method of reasoning, and a critical evaluation of his (or her) sources.  For examples of academic book reviews, you are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED consult a recent copy of the Journal of American History or American Historical Review (both are in the library).

II.  Style -- 20 Points

A.  FORMAT -- The essay must be a no-less-than-two and no-more than-three pages typed (word processed), and double-spaced paper (approximately 750-1000 words).  Put your name, course and section number (single spaced) in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your review.  Papers containing unusually large margins (more than 1.25 inches), title blocks, or fonts larger than 12 points will be returned without a grade.  Folders and plastic covers, are unnecessary (and annoy the instructor), as are titles and fancy fonts. At the top of the first page of your review, on the line immediately below your name and course number, the following form of bibliographical heading MUST be used.  If it is a reprint edition, be sure and note it as shown in the example.  Providing reprint information for editions beyond the first printing is unnecessary UNLESS there were substantive changes to subsequent editions (EXAMPLE: a new forward or introduction has been added) OR there was a change in publisher.  Failure to provide a proper heading will result in the automatic deduction of five points.
 

Author, Title (City of Publisher:  Publisher, Year of Publication; reprint, City of Reprint Publisher:  Reprint Publisher, Year of
reprint Publication).

SAMPLE HEADING:

    (Indent 5 spaces and begin writing here).
 

B.  GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX -- Your review should be written in concise, grammatically correct English. An effective analysis of the author's thesis and evaluation of his argument, rather than the essay's length, should determine whether or not your paper is complete.

When you introduce a person for the first time in the review, use his (or her) full name.

It is not necessary to use titles such as Mr., Dr., or Professor preceding the author's name.

          Avoid writing in the first person (the use of "I think", "I believe", etc. does not provide for a professional review.)

Do not use passive voice.

Do not use profanity, slang, or unique colloquialisms. Remember, you are writing a scholarly review, not an email.

          When using quotations, enclose the page number (or numbers) of the quotation in parentheses at the
          end of the quoted passage.  EX:  (p. 15), or (pp. 21-23).  For example,  "The literature on military
          professionalism has largely concentrated on such attributes as education, inculcation of military
          ethics, and socialization of the officer corps," (p. 235).   Use one "p." if the quotation comes from one
          page or "pp." if it begins on one page and continues to the next.  All material taken directly from the
          book you are reviewing (or any other book, journal, magazine, or newspaper) must be put in
          quotation marks and cited properly.  If not, this constitutes plagiarism and is subject to appropriate
          punitive action.

          Avoid extensive quotations.  More than six lines of quotes per page is "extensive."

C.  PROOF READING:  You might consider writing your assignment at least two days in advance and then spend time reviewing and revising it.  Regardless, carefully proof read your assignment for typos, misspellings, duplicate words, and other grammatical mistakes.  If possible, read it aloud.  Reading a paper aloud is a very good way of picking up redundant or repetitive phrases, awkward sentence construction, contradictory    statements, etc.  It will also assist you in adhering to the style outlined in points A and B, as each individual offense will result in the automatic deduction of five points.

III.  Summary and Thesis -- 20 Points

A.  SUMMARY (5 points):  Your review should give the reader a concise summary of the scope and content of the book.  No more than three paragraphs of a three-page review should be devoted to the content of a book.

B.  ANALYSIS (15 points): YOUR EVALUATION OF THE AUTHOR'S THESIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE REVIEW. The thesis is the author's interpretation or point of view regarding the subject of the book.  Simply stated, what point is the author trying to make in his book? You must discuss and analyze how convincingly the author presents the thesis.  You should devote considerable attention to the discussion and analysis of the author's thesis, as well as to your own . . .

IV.  Critical Evaluation -- 10 Points

A.  WRITING STYLE: Evaluate the author's writing style (did you like it?  why or why not?).  How well did the author organize the book?  Is the book mainly chronological narrative or topical analysis?

B.  RESEARCH:  Evaluate the author's sources and documentation.  Did the author base his (or her) book mainly on secondary works (other books, journal articles), or did the notes include primary sources (newspapers, diaries, collections of letters and contemporary documents).  How well did the author's evidence support his (or her) thesis?

C.  ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS: Were maps, charts or illustrations included in the book?  If so, were they clear, informative and well chosen?

D.  OVERALL ASSESSMENT: Your evaluation of the above points may be either favorable or unfavorable. Was the author's thesis convincing?  What were the book's strong points?  What were its weak points?  

Back to Dr. Wettemann's homepage