The scholarly book examination is due in week 5. Your essay should be 2 pages in length, Times New Roman, 12 pt. type, double-spaced and should strictly follow guidelines provided Write a paper on the Historians often contribute to scholarly discourse in the form of book review, which I strongly encourage you to do. When writing a professional book review, following guidelines is essential for success, so these guidelines are important; I will use them for evaluation of the book review for the course. I will also include a successful sample book review. I recommend you choose and read the books for your review as early as possible, since a good review might require more than one close reading of the book.
I. Appraisal: Keep the scholarly interests of the reading audience in mind as you write the review.
Does the author clearly state goals and achieve them?
What are the goals?
Is the work sound scholarship?
How does the work contribute or add to the field?
What is the significance of the book to the field?
Is the writing clear and free of jargon?
Is the book worth buying? Reading? By whom?
II. Tone: Scholarly disputation is best handled in a courteous manner. Criticism, both positive and negative, must be substantiated. Personal attacks on the author, as opposed to strong disagreement with the book, are always inappropriate and will not be published.
III. Footnotes: Do Not Use. Indicate exact pagination for direct quotes as in the following example: The military genius of Napoleon is best demonstrated in his capacity for situational flexibility (p. 323). If it is necessary to translate a foreign-language quotation, include the original on a separate sheet. Quoted material, especially lengthy ones, are not a good idea, though.
IV. Names: Give the full names of persons you mention in the review.
V. Minor Errors: Unless errors or fact, typography, or spelling and grammar detract in a major way from the quality of the book, it is hoped that the limited number of words in the review can best be expended more profitably in other ways.
The attached file is the example the instructor gave the class.
