Definitions: Book Reviews vs Review Articles

Book Reviews

Book Reviews are pieces that summarize the content of a published volume, assess its quality, and note its contribution to the field.

• Word length: 2,000-4,000 words
• By invitation only: submissions of Book Reviews to Language are by invitation only, with submissions for this section being exclusively solicited by the Book Reviews Editor. Unsolicited Book Reviews will be automatically rejected upon submission.
• Peer review: Book reviews are not usually reviewed by external referees, but instead are reviewed by the Book Reviews Editor in consultation with the journal's Editor and Associate Editors.

Review Articles

Review Articles are longer pieces that are published as regular articles, and provide a more substantive review of a research area or a larger body of literature on a specific topic. 

• Word length: Maximum 5,000 words
• By invitation only: submissions of Review Articles to Language are by invitation only, with submissions for this section being exclusively solicited by the journal's Editors. Unsolicited Book Reviews will be automatically rejected upon submission.
• Peer review: Review Articles are subject to the regular peer review process. 
• Submission queries: Potential authors wishing to propose a Review Article should first contact the Language Editor (language@lsadc.org). 

Contact details and submission process

All invited submissions of Book Reviews should be submitted through the Language ScholarOne site: 
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lsa-language 

All correspondence about Book Reviews should be directed at the Book Reviews Editor, Jessi Grieser.

• Email address: jgrieser@umich.edu
• Mailing address:
  Language Reviews
  c/o Jessi Grieser
  Department of Linguistics
  University of Michigan
  440 Lorch Hall, 611 Tappan Street
  Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220, USA

Editing

For any Book Review accepted for publication in Language, the Editors reserve the right to make alterations in punctuation, phrasing, and wording, as well as to make minor cuts, in order that the item be in keeping with the journal's requirements regarding style and usage. Authors are asked to proofread their contributions thoroughly before submission.

Formatting guidelines

Book Reviews should strictly adhere to the formatting guidelines outlined below. Reviews that do not follow these guidelines may be returned to the author for reformatting before they are considered for publication in Language.

Cover page

Each Book Review should have a cover sheet within the document, providing the following information:

• title and author(s)/editor(s) of the book;
• complete contact information for the review author (postal address, phone number, and e-mail address);
• accurate word-count for the Book Review (in MS Word, the "word count" utility is found in the "Tools" menu).

First page

The first page of the review should contain complete information about the book being reviewed and the name(s) of the the reviewer(s).

• Book information. The page should start with information about the book being reviewed. Provide this information into a single paragraph, following this format (including punctuation and spacing):
  Title: Subtitle. Ed. by/By Full name of author(s). (series title) [if any].) Publication city, state abbreviation: Publisher, Publication year. Pp. XX. ISBN. Price in US$.
• Price information. For indicating the price information, use the dollar amount unless none is available. In such a case, provide the price listed by the publisher in local currency (i.e., do not try to convert currencies). The price should be listed in only one currency. If there is a choice between listing paperback or hardbound prices, please provide the paperback price (this is the default). If the book is hardbound, please indicate do with the abbreviation "(Hb)" after the price. Prices should be given in whole units, without decimal points, if possible (e.g. $109 and not $109.00).
• Reviewer information. The name and affiliation of the reviewer is handled differently depending upon whether it is a review or a book notice. For both reviews and book notices, include the review author's name and affiliation on a single line flush right following the header and preceding the body of the review (separated by spaces), as follows:
  Reviewed by Name, Affiliation.

Please consult examples of Book Reviews published in Language to ensure that you format the first page of your review correctly.

Body of the review

The body of the review should provide full first names of all scholars mentioned (except for those who publish under initials only). Please use Times New Roman font and a type size no smaller than 12 characters per inch. If the book is an edited volume, when you quote the names of authors of individual chapters, put the first name and surname in small capitals the first time you mention them, followed by regular font on subsequent mentions. Numbered examples are allowed in Book Reviews, but should be used sparingly. Book Reviews do not allow subsections. 

Timelines

Book Reviews should be completed within 6 months of receiving the book. If you need more time to complete your review, please contact the Book Reviews Editor, who may be able to extend the deadline.

Duplication

Undertaking to write a book review for Language entails that the reviewer has not previously published, and will not in future publish, a review the same book elsewhere (as per the journal's Policy on prior publication). Exceptions to this policy may be granted in rare circumstances only after consultation with the Book Reviews Editor.

Conflicts of interest

Individuals should not undertake to review a book to which they have contributed, or for which they have written publicity statements that appear on dust jackets or promotional literature. Language cautions prospective reviewers against taking on a project that would cause the objectivity of the review to be questioned (e.g., don't review a book written by a family member, close friend, advisee, advisor, student, colleague, etc.). Reviewers are also discouraged to take on reviews of books by researchers with which they have strong ideological disagreements, especially if these disagreements have played out in the public sphere.

The editorial team reserves the right not to publish a review if we judge there be to a reason that may negatively impact the perceived objectivity of a review, even we learn about such a reason after a review has been accepted for publication.

Negative reviews

Occasionally, a reviewer finds it necessary to express a negative opinion about a book in their review. When this is the case, it is important for the reviewer to maintain a professional tone and to avoid gratuitously offensive comments. The author of a negative review is also encouraged to send a copy of it to the author of the book when it is submitted to Language for publication. This is done in order that book authors not be surprised, and infuriated needlessly, when a (deservedly) negative review appears. This also gives authors a chance to inform the reviewer of any factual errors in their review. 

It should be noted here that the journal rarely publishes replies to negative reviews, and only when the reply is likely to advance some useful scholarly dialogue. In such instances, the review and its rejoinder are usually published in the same issue. The decision of whether to publish a response is done at the sole discretion of the editorial team.

Returns

Authors who have been commissioned to write a Book Review should not hesitate to return the book, if it should turn out to be "not what was expected". If after inspecting the book, a reviewer decides against preparing a review, please inform the Book Reviews Editor and return the book promptly.

Interaction between publishers, authors and Language

Language receives many more books than we can publish a review for. The receipt of individual books cannot be separately acknowledged, and no book can be returned to the publisher. Accepting a book does not imply that it will be reviewed in this journal. The decision of which books to review is at the sole discretion of the Book Reviews Editor. Before sending books to Language, publishers are advised to consult the most recent reviews appearing in the journal for a representative sample of the type of publications that are sent out for reviews.

Language accepts books for reviews from publishers only, and never from authors. Authors interested in getting their books reviewed should confirm that their publisher's marketing department has sent a copy or new publication announcements to the Language Book Reviews Editor. Publishers who wish their linguistics selections to be noted in Language should make certain to send relevant books or announcements to us.

Language does not send copies of reviews to publishers or authors. Publishers and authors can access reviews through the same channels that they would usually access publications in Language.