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Guidelines for Reviewers

Books for Review

Guidelines for Book Reviews

Books reviews should describe the aims and contents of the book, put the book in the context of the scholarship in the field, evaluate the methodology and scope of the book, and, when possible, put the book in the context of the author’s previous scholarship. While perfect balance between the book’s virtues and faults is not always desirable, the review should be and should appear to be “arms length,” neither a peon of praise nor a “hatchet job.”

The outside limit should be around 2500 words, the minimum might be 800 or so. References in a review should be avoided as much as possible. The review should follow the LSA style sheet (http://www.lsadc.org/info/pubs-lang-style.cfm).

Preference will be given to LASSO members as book reviewers. If a potential reviewer asks to be sent a book, and it is not what was expected and is outside the potential reviewer’s area of expertise, it should be sent back to the book review editor.

Completed unsolicited reviews are discouraged. If they are sent and the book review editor finds them to be of exceptional merit, the editor will establish to his satisfaction that the review is “arms length,” and will enquire about the reviewer’s qualifications, reasons for writing a review in advance, and any relationship between the reviewer and the author of the book being reviewed.