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GUIDELINES FOR BOOK REVIEWS

Criticism does not accept unsolicited book reviews. Scholars who are interested in reviewing books for Criticism should contact the book reviews editor and provide a list of their scholarly interests.

LENGTH

FOR SHORT REVIEWS: Reviews of single books should be 1250 words (roughly 5 double-spaced pages). Feel free to write a shorter review as needed.

FOR LONG REVIEWS: Reviews of single books should be 1750-2500 words (roughly 7-10 double-spaced pages). Feel free to write a shorter review as needed.

TITLE

Each review should have its own title independent of the title of the book under review. (I.e., each review should have a title that is not simply “Review of _____.”)

FORMAT

Use double spacing and one-inch margins

Use American spelling and hyphenation: consult Webster’s Collegiate (11th edition) and/or Webster’s Third New International dictionaries.

HOUSE STYLE

Use The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition) for punctuation and documentation.

For translated works mentioned in your essay, please provide titles in English and the original language of publication, as well as years of first publication in both languages.

REFERENCES

References to the book under review should be parenthetical.

Use The Chicago Manual of Style DOCUMENTATION ONE for references to citations of material outside of the book under review.

Head endnotes as NOTES. First citation should include the full title and author of a cited work. Frequent citations may be abbreviated; use a key of such abbreviations in the first citation.

AUTHOR BIO

Include a brief biography of about 40 words at the end of your essay, after the body of the essay but before the endnotes. It might include where you work, previous publications, what projects you are currently working on, etc.

EMPHASIS

Any point made for emphasis should be italicized and not underlined.

PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

COPYRIGHT

Copyright on articles published in Criticism rests with Wayne State University Press unless otherwise agreed by editors and publisher.

REPUBLICATION

Authors are free to reprint their work—with due acknowledgement to Criticism and Wayne State University Press—in any subsequent volumes they write or edit.

Criticism, Wayne State University Press and the author must agree to republication.

PROOFS

Authors must correct proofs within two weeks of receipt and make no further revisions.

AUTHOR’S COPIES

Two copies of the complete issue will be supplied to the author, free of charge.

PUBLISHING AGREEMENT FORM

Criticism will send each contributor a contract to be signed and returned. On the contract include:

  • Under ‘title’ :
    1. the title of your article
    2. the name Criticism
    3. the number and date of the issue where your article appears
  • Personal address in block letters