The Book and Media Review section of NH provides a venue for critique of books, visual media, and computer software associated with adult education, human resource development, and related fields. The review should simultaneously convey the content and contribution of the item to the field(s) and critically assess its quality and usefulness. This critical assessment requires reviewers to have an understanding of the theoretical and practical contexts of the item. The objectives of a review are to help the reader decide whether the item is worth acquiring; to help locate the item within current theories and practices; to suggest new directions for research and practice; and to challenge conventional criteria for judgment where necessary.

Procedures for Book and Media Reviews

• The Book and Media Review Editor will invite individuals to review books, visual media, and computer software of interest to adult education, human resource development, and related fields. The Editor will supply the item from the Publisher.
  After the review is submitted, the Editor assesses the review and determines whether it should go into the production queue or to be revised and returned. If the review does not meet the guidelines and/or requires major editing, it will be returned to the author.
• The review will be due ten weeks after the reviewer has received the item; the Editors have the option of not considering reviews received after the deadline.
• Individuals interested in reviewing an item should contact the Editor with the title and a brief description of the item. Unsolicited reviews will be considered by the Editor in accordance with the above procedures. If an unsolicited and a solicited review of the same item are received by the Editor, the solicited review will receive preference.
• The reviewer must complete a copyright release form before the review can be published in NH.

Guidelines for Reviewing Books, Visual Media, or Computer Software

A critical media review should contain three types of information: (1) an overview of the content, (2) an evaluation, and (3) a recommendation. Reviews should integrate the literature of the field(s) to support, explain, or refute issues or elements raised by the author or creator of the item. The points listed below should serve as a guide for the review.

Overview of the Content:

• Describe the purpose of the item as stated or inferred by the author.
• Describe the author’s perspective.
• Identify the primary and secondary audiences.
• Describe the content and structure of the item.

Evaluation:

• How is the item situated in the current theory and issues of the field(s)?
• Does the review integrate the literature of the field(s) to support, explain, or refute a particular item?
• Is the subject matter approached in an unusual or unique fashion?
• How does the item address gender, race, class, and other dimensions of difference?
• What are the item’s strengths and weaknesses, and with what criteria do you make these judgments?
• Is the scholarship rigorous, well-supported, and well-developed?
• How would you characterize the style of the author?
• Is the organization and/or context congruent with its style, argument, and purpose?
• How successfully did the author accomplish his or her objectives?
• How worthwhile are these objectives – and with what criteria do you make this judgment?

Recommendation :

• To whom would you recommend the item and why?
• In what way(s) would you suggest the item be used?
• What potential contribution does the item make in terms of theory or practice?

Aspects of content, evaluation, and recommendation might be treated separately or interwoven throughout the narrative review. Do not use the critical review as a forum for personal biases or research interests. Avoid dwelling upon extraneous concerns or technical printing errors.

Review Preparation Instructions

• Format manuscript as MS Word document.
• Double-space the entire manuscript.
• Set margins at 1 inch on all sides
• Use Times New Roman 12-point size.
• Insert page number in the upper-right corner of the manuscript.
• Manuscripts should be between 1500 and 1600 words including references.
• For book reviews: If quoting directly from the book put a page number in parentheses after the quote. If quoting from a source other than the book itself, use American Psychological Association (APA) style (http://www.apastyle.org).
• At the top of the review include author, title, publisher, place and date of publication, number of pages (if appropriate) and price. Here is a sample of the format to use for book reviews:

Strategic Human Resource Development, by D. Jim Grieves. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003. 210 pages, $94.95 (hardcover).

• At the end of the review list your name and institutional affiliation as you want it to appear when the review is printed.
• References should start after your name and institutional affiliation.

Review Submission Instructions

1. Cover Page to include:

• Review title
• Author’s full name (if the review has more than one author, provide all authors’ names)
• Author’s affiliation (if the review has more than one author, provide all authors’ affiliation)
• Complete contact information (if the review has more than one author, provide complete contact information for all authors)
• The following Warrant “I (we) warrant that this review represents original, unpublished work not under consideration elsewhere. We grant NH the right to publish, distribute electronically, archive, and make retrievable the submitted review, if accepted.”

Title this page with your last name and the word “cover” (e.g., “Johnson.Cover.doc”)

2. Original Review should be titled with your last name and the word “review” (e.g., “Johnson.Review.doc”)

Please, write in the subject line of your email, “Review for NH”, include the two attachments (Cover Page and Original Review), and send to the Book and Media Review Editor: silvana.ianinska@fiu.edu.