NEPCA NEWS Book Reviews:

 

NEPCA News is pleased to publish reviews of books of interest to our members.

NEPCA invites members, authors and publishers to submit books for review in the NEPCA News. Books should be sent to the editor:

Robert E. Weir

15 Woods Street

Florence, MA 01062

You mail email the editor at:  mailto:weir.r@comcast.net

 

The editor retains the sole discretion of choosing which books shall be included for review.

 

GUIDELINES FOR NEPCA REVIEWERS

 

 

1/ Brevity:   The shorter the review, the more we can publish overall. Ideally, your review should be no more than 600 words and shorter is preferred.  We simply cannot publish more than 700.

 

2/ Style and content: Avoid jargon and write clearly. NEPCA is a diverse organization with scholars from many specialties.  Our goal is to inform our membership, and much of it will not be aware of the subject about which you write. Tailor your review towards a more general readership than you might for a specialty journal.  Please write in straightforward prose even if the author does not and even if the book’s approach is abstract and/or theoretical.

Please include the following:

            a/ A brief summary of the content and the author’s affiliation/identity/qualifications (Well-known? First book? Academic specialty? Journalist?)

            b/ An overview of the author’s argument(s)

            c/ An assessment of the author’s methodology and research. (Does the book break new ground or does it plow well-tilled soil?)

            d/ An assessment of how well (or badly) the author sustains the book’s argument

            e/ An assessment of the book’s usefulness.  Who would want to read it? (If strictly for specialists, say so.) Could it be used in a classroom? If so, by whom?  NEPCA members are particularly keen to find books that work well in a college classroom.

 

3/ Format: Please submit your review to me via email as a Word attachment with the following parameters:

 

            a/ 12-point Arial.

            b/ Header single spaced; body double-spaced; reviewer and affiliation single spaced

            c/ Use this format for the header: Name of Book, by Author, Publisher: City, Date.

Example: American Jesus: How the Son of God Became an American Icon, by Stephen Prothero, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

            d/ Follow this example for signing review:

                        Robert E. Weir

                        University of Massachusetts at Amherst

 

4/ Quotes: Please keep these at a minimum and simply place the page number from which you have quoted in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Example: (38) We are unable to format footnotes into the reviews, so quote only from the book you are reviewing (if at all). Paraphrasing is best in most cases. Make sure all quotes are essential. 

 

5/ Special requests:

 

            a/ Please be formal.  Refer to subjects by their last name rather than assuming familiarity. (Example: Addams, not “Jane.”) 

            b/ Please proofread your work to make certain that modifiers are properly placed, that syntax is correct, that all words are properly spelled, and that sentences are clear.

            c/ When possible, use direct language. Avoid overly complex sentences.

           

Note:  NEPCA reserves the right to edit reviews for space and clarity.  If changes are minor, we will send the review back to you for approval only if you ask that this be done in advance.  In all cases of major revision, or where intent or content is in question, the review will be sent back to the reviewer for approval and/or clarification.  Reviewers should respond to queries within 48 hours.