Guidelines
Book and Website Review Guidelines
by Kit brown-Hoekstra
Have you read a good book lately? Found a website you can't wait to tell people about? Here's your chance to share your newfound knowledge with your colleagues.
Here are some hints for constructing the review:
- Include the complete bibliographic information for the book or website immediately after your byline. For example: Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. 2001. The Free Press: New York. pp.260. ISBN: 0-7432-0114-0. URL: http://www.strengthsfinder.com
- In 2-3 sentences, tell the reader what the book or website is about and how it relates to technical communication.
- Provide 2-3 things you got out of the book or website, and if applicable, 2-3 things that you wish they had done differently. Opinions are OK if they are supported
- Support your opinions using specific examples from the book or website. This analysis should be brief--1-2 paragraphs at most.
- Conclude with a recommendation of how this information might be useful to the user.
The reviews should meet the following guidelines:
- Keep it short. The reviews should be 300-500 words. A couple of paragraphs can tell the reader a great deal about what the book/website is about and why one should read it.
- Focus on the big picture. In a short review, there isn't room to go page by page and analyze every detail. Instead, pick out the main themes and write about the overall impression. This style is much more interesting to read.
- Use an informal, conversational tone. Pretend you are talking to someone about the book or website, and that you only have one minute to explain it to them. What would you tell them about it?
- Review the article guidelines. These guidelines provide more detail about the grammar and style for presenting the information, as well as the format the editor needs to receive the information in.