Writing Book Reviews Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/58/11/1361/4559277 by University of Texas at Dallas user on 03 February 2019
DIANE AIKEN, BA
Book reviewers for PHYSICAL THERAPY face the challenge of writing meaningful critiques in a limited space. These critiques must be clear, concise, accu rate, and in accordance with the Journal's Style Manual.
pertinent or unique. Much of the information in the summary may be combined into one concise sen tence. For example, "The objective of this text is to provide an introduction to spinal injuries for physi cians and allied health personnel."
CONTENTS
Critique
Bear in mind the purpose of a book review —you will be better able to weed out essential from nonessential. A book review evaluates a certain book that physical therapists may consider buying or recommending to patients, students, assistants, or other physical therapists. So, you need not de scribe in detail the entire contents of a book or include items just for the sake of completeness. Instead, 1) briefly describe the contents and 2) feature only those parts of the text and aspects of the book that you find most interesting or relevant to physical therapists. Be concise, but offer the reader more than a paraphrase of the table of contents or a chapter-bychapter outline. One good example of a bad review listed the titles of 29 papers presented at a sympo sium—and little else. A book review should consist of objective information (summary of the book) and subjective information (critique of the book).
When you critique a book, be careful to make your own judgments. Do not be influenced by superlative expressions on the dust jacket or the high recommendations of colleagues and friends who wrote the preface or introduction. Be sure to evaluate: 1) the quality, accuracy, clarity, and logical devel opment of the material. 2) organization, style, and technical features (such as index, illustrations, typographical errors, foot notes, references, figures, tables, and, in a ref erence book, the bibliography). Note errors, but do not dwell on small ones. 3) the degree to which the book achieves the au thor's stated objectives. 4) the book's usefulness to a particular audience (such as to students or to physical therapists practicing in a specialty field). Also, consider stating whether you liked the book, as this can be valuable to the reader, but give reasons for your opinion. If applicable, also describe how this book compares with similar literature. Are the ideas new? Is old material presented from a new perspective? Do the ideas conform to accepted views in that field, or perhaps reflect newly accepted ones?
Summary Be sure to summarize the theme and purpose of the book and briefly describe its contents. You may also wish to include the type of book (such as text, reference, handbook, symposium proceedings) and the intended audience (such as teachers, physicians, and physical therapists dealing with children af flicted with spina bifida). Discuss the author's qual ifications, his relationship to the subject, or his other books only if these items are particularly
Ms. Aiken is Senior Editorial Assistant, Publications Depart ment, American Physical Therapy Association, 1156 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Volume 58 / Number 11, November 1978
ORGANIZATION Good organization ensures coherency and helps you avoid accidental repetitions or omissions. If there is a place for each bit of information, you will be less likely to scatter related information through out your review or to repeat the same information needlessly.
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STYLE General rules of good writing apply to writing book reviews. Do not be tempted to reflect an author's ambiguity, awkwardness, inaccuracies, jar gon, or noncompliance with the Journal's style. For example, do not use British terminology or spelling just because the author is British! Reduce ambigui ties by clearly writing your opinions and comments in the first person. "This book is not recommended for students" does not tell whether the author does not recommend it or you do not. Also, avoid
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careless errors by setting aside the review for a few days or weeks before you proofread it for the last time. Try checking for spelling errors by reading the review backwards so that your eyes are not allowed to skim over mistakes. References Authorities:
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/58/11/1361/4559277 by University of Texas at Dallas user on 03 February 2019
Organize your material in any way you think best. Because a book review considers the book as a whole and singles out special features, the review often does not lend itself to chapter-by-chapter coverage. You may wish to organize your informa tion into a simple outline of two or three parts: summary, unusual features (optional), and critique. Perhaps you would wish to follow a more detailed outline: 1. Summary of theme and purpose of the book 2. Brief description of contents 3. Quality, accuracy, and clarity of material 4. Organization, style, and technical features 5. Degree that the book achieves author's stated objectives, book's relationship to similar litera ture, and book's usefulness to a particular audi ence. These two suggested outlines may not suit your purposes and are not hard-and-fast rules. A review often can be made more concise by including several of the above five elements in the introductory sentence. For example, "This well-written, easy-tounderstand handbook accomplishes its purpose of providing physical therapy students with an intro duction to neurological problems."
1. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (latest edition) for word meaning, usage, spelling (first listing is the preferred), and jargon. 2. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary for cor rect usage and spelling of medical terms. 3. Gray's Anatomy for usage of anatomical terms. 4. Style Manual of the American Physical Therapy Association for style. Helpful Information:
1. "Correct Usage," Stylebook/Editorial Manual of the American Medical Association (sixth edi tion) for grammar and for suggestions on avoid ing misused terms, redundancies, and jargon. 2. Scientific Writing, by Lester King and Charles Roland, American Medical Association, for good general reading and priceless advice on almost any writing problem. FORMAT AND PUBLICATION PROCESS
Book reviews must be double spaced and less than 400 words (600 words permitted in exceptional cases). Adhere strictly to the Journal's format for book reviews. Write to the Publications Department at APTA headquarters for details on format and for information on the publication process.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
DIANE AIKEN, BA
Book reviewers for PHYSICAL THERAPY face the challenge of writing meaningful critiques in a limited space. These critiques must be clear, concise, accu rate, and in accordance with the Journal's Style Manual.
pertinent or unique. Much of the information in the summary may be combined into one concise sen tence. For example, "The objective of this text is to provide an introduction to spinal injuries for physi cians and allied health personnel."
CONTENTS
Critique
Bear in mind the purpose of a book review —you will be better able to weed out essential from nonessential. A book review evaluates a certain book that physical therapists may consider buying or recommending to patients, students, assistants, or other physical therapists. So, you need not de scribe in detail the entire contents of a book or include items just for the sake of completeness. Instead, 1) briefly describe the contents and 2) feature only those parts of the text and aspects of the book that you find most interesting or relevant to physical therapists. Be concise, but offer the reader more than a paraphrase of the table of contents or a chapter-bychapter outline. One good example of a bad review listed the titles of 29 papers presented at a sympo sium—and little else. A book review should consist of objective information (summary of the book) and subjective information (critique of the book).
When you critique a book, be careful to make your own judgments. Do not be influenced by superlative expressions on the dust jacket or the high recommendations of colleagues and friends who wrote the preface or introduction. Be sure to evaluate: 1) the quality, accuracy, clarity, and logical devel opment of the material. 2) organization, style, and technical features (such as index, illustrations, typographical errors, foot notes, references, figures, tables, and, in a ref erence book, the bibliography). Note errors, but do not dwell on small ones. 3) the degree to which the book achieves the au thor's stated objectives. 4) the book's usefulness to a particular audience (such as to students or to physical therapists practicing in a specialty field). Also, consider stating whether you liked the book, as this can be valuable to the reader, but give reasons for your opinion. If applicable, also describe how this book compares with similar literature. Are the ideas new? Is old material presented from a new perspective? Do the ideas conform to accepted views in that field, or perhaps reflect newly accepted ones?
Summary Be sure to summarize the theme and purpose of the book and briefly describe its contents. You may also wish to include the type of book (such as text, reference, handbook, symposium proceedings) and the intended audience (such as teachers, physicians, and physical therapists dealing with children af flicted with spina bifida). Discuss the author's qual ifications, his relationship to the subject, or his other books only if these items are particularly
Ms. Aiken is Senior Editorial Assistant, Publications Depart ment, American Physical Therapy Association, 1156 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Volume 58 / Number 11, November 1978
ORGANIZATION Good organization ensures coherency and helps you avoid accidental repetitions or omissions. If there is a place for each bit of information, you will be less likely to scatter related information through out your review or to repeat the same information needlessly.
1361
STYLE General rules of good writing apply to writing book reviews. Do not be tempted to reflect an author's ambiguity, awkwardness, inaccuracies, jar gon, or noncompliance with the Journal's style. For example, do not use British terminology or spelling just because the author is British! Reduce ambigui ties by clearly writing your opinions and comments in the first person. "This book is not recommended for students" does not tell whether the author does not recommend it or you do not. Also, avoid
1362
careless errors by setting aside the review for a few days or weeks before you proofread it for the last time. Try checking for spelling errors by reading the review backwards so that your eyes are not allowed to skim over mistakes. References Authorities:
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/58/11/1361/4559277 by University of Texas at Dallas user on 03 February 2019
Organize your material in any way you think best. Because a book review considers the book as a whole and singles out special features, the review often does not lend itself to chapter-by-chapter coverage. You may wish to organize your informa tion into a simple outline of two or three parts: summary, unusual features (optional), and critique. Perhaps you would wish to follow a more detailed outline: 1. Summary of theme and purpose of the book 2. Brief description of contents 3. Quality, accuracy, and clarity of material 4. Organization, style, and technical features 5. Degree that the book achieves author's stated objectives, book's relationship to similar litera ture, and book's usefulness to a particular audi ence. These two suggested outlines may not suit your purposes and are not hard-and-fast rules. A review often can be made more concise by including several of the above five elements in the introductory sentence. For example, "This well-written, easy-tounderstand handbook accomplishes its purpose of providing physical therapy students with an intro duction to neurological problems."
1. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (latest edition) for word meaning, usage, spelling (first listing is the preferred), and jargon. 2. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary for cor rect usage and spelling of medical terms. 3. Gray's Anatomy for usage of anatomical terms. 4. Style Manual of the American Physical Therapy Association for style. Helpful Information:
1. "Correct Usage," Stylebook/Editorial Manual of the American Medical Association (sixth edi tion) for grammar and for suggestions on avoid ing misused terms, redundancies, and jargon. 2. Scientific Writing, by Lester King and Charles Roland, American Medical Association, for good general reading and priceless advice on almost any writing problem. FORMAT AND PUBLICATION PROCESS
Book reviews must be double spaced and less than 400 words (600 words permitted in exceptional cases). Adhere strictly to the Journal's format for book reviews. Write to the Publications Department at APTA headquarters for details on format and for information on the publication process.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
