Call for Book Reviews

The Journal of Faculty Development (JFD) publishes scholarly book reviews and review essays on a regular basis. Faculty, scholars, practitioners, and advanced graduate students are welcome to submit book reviews or review essays to the JFD. All reviewers are expected to follow our guidelines and familiarize themselves with the skills required to write a good review, both of which are available in the below Guidelines.

JDF is published three times each year and covers important topics on innovation in faculty development. We welcome your submission on any book titles and topics related to faculty development as long as you believe they will be relevant for administrators, faculty members, and faculty development professionals.

Book Review Guidelines

  • A book review should be approximately 1000 words. A review essay (two or more books) should be approximately 1200-1300 words.
  • The submission should be double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font, with 1 inch margins on all sides. Please submit the review in MS Word as an e-mail attachment.
  • The review should follow APA Manual 7th edition guidelines.
  • Reviews should be written without highly technical terms or jargon. Keep in mind that the audience for reviews are diverse educators of all professional backgrounds.
  • The tone of the review should be professional. If a critique is made, it should be stated clearly and with respect.
  • The review may be edited by the book review editor for minor revisions or it may be returned to authors for major revisions.
  • Submissions should not be under review by other journals.

The review should include:

  • At the top of the review, please place the bibliographic citation of the book(s) you are reviewing following the APA Manual 7th edition guidelines.
  • This information should be followed by the statement:
    Reviewed by [reviewer’s name]
  • Please include your name, position, and institutional affiliation at the conclusion of your review
    Example: Charlie Sweet is Foundation Professor at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY.
  • The review should consist of the following four elements:
  1. A concise and clear description of the book’s content – A relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
  2. A critical assessment of the content – A thoughtful and reasoned evaluation of the text, a discussion of its contribution and relation to the existing literature and trends in the field, an overview of its strengths and weaknesses, and its unique qualities (if any).
  3. A brief description of the audience – Suggestions for the appropriate audience for the book and the insights on how they might appreciate the reading.
  4. Brief takeaways – 3 (or so) overarching ideas, thoughts, or practical suggestions that reviewers gleaned from the book.
  • Note: While a summary of the book is important to provide context, it should not dominate the review. Instead, the primary focus should be on critically assessing the book’s content, its contribution to the field, and its relevance to existing literature. The review should prioritize thoughtful evaluation, audience insights, and key takeaways over mere description, ensuring a balanced and analytical approach that engages readers meaningfully.
  • “The best reviews teach the readers something about the field in addition to announcing and describing a book….The more analysis, synthesis, and evaluation you can provide in a review, the more its potential value.” (Erwin, R. W., Jr. [1992]. Reviewing books for scholarly journals. In J. M. Moxley [Ed.], Writing and publishing for academic authors. New York: University Press of America).

Please send your submissions to Jamie Shaffer, Book Review Editor, at jamie.shaffer@belmont.edu

We look forward to hearing from you!

Contact:

We welcome inquiries and suggestions regarding potential future reviews and review essays. For any questions, please contact: Jamie Shaffer, Belmont University, Book Review Editor, at jamie.shaffer@belmont.edu.