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   Published Reviews   Available for Review
Guidelines   Template

The format below provides a template you may choose to follow when writing a book review. This format is strongly recommended for first-time reviewers.

Organization

1. After a brief introduction, state the author’s purpose in the work.
2. Describe the content.
3. Answer the following: Is the content faithful to the author’s stated purpose? Is the work coherent?
4. Evaluate the book from your own experience with the subject and discuss the relationship of the book to the larger field of Southeast Asian studies.

Proofreading and composition

1. Use standard, straightforward English language, style, and organization.
2. Provide enough detail about the book to allow readers to make judgments for themselves.
3. Provide an assessment of the book’s place in its discipline and in   the study of Southeast Asia.
4. Provide citations of other works mentioned in the review.

Avoid

1. Obscuring the content of the book by engaging in overextended discussion of current events, reviews of related literature and theory, or explanations of your personal opinion. All these, in moderation, can be an asset to a book review, but the book itself must remain central to the content of the review.
2. Submitting unsupported generalizations. Don’t just say book is valuable; show also where the value lies. Don’t just say a book has a particular weakness; also cite evidence of that weakness.
3. Judging the book by events subsequent to the time it was written. But it is sometimes appropriate to mention post-publication developments.