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Styleguide for Reviewers
A message from the book review editors…
Copies of the reviews are sent to the publishers, and we therefore encourage you to submit your review within two to three months of receiving the book.
MIA is published four times per year: February, May, August and November. Book review copy deadlines are:
- December 1 (for February);
- March 1 (for May);
- June 1 (for August);
- September 1 (for November).
Guide lines for book reviewers:
MIA publishes two types of short reviews:
- Booknotes—must concisely assess and summarise the publication, with a maximum length of 200 words;
- Reviews—must critically analyse the style and major issues dealt with in the book, with a maximum length of 500 words.
Review essays, which may be longer, are treated as academic articles and should be submitted to the Editor: Gerard Goggin. If you submit a long review, please include a suggested title, other than the title of the book.
Suggestions on content:
The editors hope that your review will:
- Give the reader a brief, clear account of the nature, content and purpose of the monograph and indicate its place in the literature on the subject and its contribution, if any, to the field;
- Indicate, by a specific discussion or in passing, how well the author has succeeded in his/her purpose, organised the material, expressed himself/herself; and
- Evaluate the monograph for the potential reader and/or purchaser.
Objective critical appraisal should be the goal. Sympathy or difference of opinion is appropriate but should not prevent the review from containing a straightforward judgment.
Reviewers should normally:
- Confine the review to a discussion of the monograph, thus avoiding digressive essays;
- Avoid listing typographical or other minor errors unless they significantly impair the value of the monograph. It would be appropriate to notify the author about them in a private letter;
- Use quotations and detailed descriptions of the content of the monograph sparingly. When a quote is used, indicate its location by including the page number(s) in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
- If reference is made to other works, such references are to be recorded at the end of the review with a heading ‘References’ and using the style outlined in the MIA style sheet (which can be obtained from the Production Editor, Sue Jarvis, on 07 3365 3102 or email S.Jarvis@uq.edu.au).
- Please use personal pronouns instead of the conventional ‘author’ and ‘reviewer’.
Some Style Notes:
- Please use A4 paper
- Use Times New Roman 12pt
- Type double-spaced, one side only, send hard copy and disc with format information
- If sending by email, please either send as an attachment (preferably in Word), or in the body of the text
- Please note that reviews should include bibliographical details for book reviewed: Author(s), Title, Publisher, Year of publication, ISBN, Number of pages, Price. Distributor: (if applicable). Follow this example, using commas and italics (or indicate italics with an underline): Keirstead, Phillip O. and Keirstead, Sonia-Kay, The World of Telecommunications, Focal Press, London, 1990, ISBN 0 240 80014 1, x+108 pp., A$27.50. Distributor: Butterworth
- At the end of the review indicate your name in your preferred style — e.g. A.D. Smith, Annette Smith, your institution, and supply your email address.
The book review editors reserve the right to edit reviews, and we will endeavour to contact you with suggested changes prior to publication.
Published contributors of ‘Reviews and Booknotes’ receive one copy of the issue in which their review appears.
For more information and/or requests for reviews please do not hesitate to contact us:
Dr. Kitty van Vuuren
Email: K.vanvuuren@uq.edu.au
Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies
The University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia
Tel: +61 7 334 67409
Fax: +61 7 336 57184
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