*Rubric/Instructions for Formatting Book Reviews *Achieving 250 Words/24-25 Lines of Text per Page * Carlos R. Rivera. PHD LCDR. Columbus OH. 2019
A critical evaluation of a monograph selected by the
student and approved by the instructor. The review will
summarize the author’s main argument and discuss supporting
examples from the book. A significant portion of the review
should relate the book selected to the appropriate section of
the main textbook. Criticisms in this section will focus on
differences in interpretation and not on the lack or abundance
of details. The best reviews will include relevant criticisms of
the author’s thesis. The reviews should be written in standard
formal English with a formal introduction and conclusion.
SUMMARIZE THE MAIN ARGUMENT 1-Find author’s argument in introduction, preface & conclusion.
2-Briefly restate this argument in your own words.
3-Recount important facts, points of evidence, major turning
points & interpretations supporting the argument.
4-Was the argument difficult to follow or to understand?
5-How could the author make his or her work more understandable?
Hints: Chapter outlines may help you follow your author’s thesis
throughout the book. Use the outlines to determine if the author
proved his or her thesis.
COMPARE TO THE TEXT
1-Find similar topics in both books such as important events or
people.
2-Compare the interpretations or use of these events or people.
3-Are there any discrepancies between the book and the text?
4-Does the book provide a view of the event or person not
offered in the text?
CRITIQUE THE AUTHOR’S THESIS 1-What is the author’s bias?
2-How does this bias influence the author’s interpretation of
events?
3-What elements of the argument were the most/least convincing?
4-Cite specific examples of the most/least convincing elements
of the argument.
5-What sources were used/ignored?
All left-hand justified. In the upper left corner of your
1st page and single spaced, print your name on line 1, date on
line 2. Skip two lines. Type bibliographic citation (Author,
Title, Publication Company, City, State and Year)—no other
citations will be allowed. In the body, you will use page
numbers only for citations. Skip two more lines. Begin typing
the review body with double spacing. The review will be four
pages, no more and no less. Disable extra line between
paragraphs, set offsets to 0. Ask for help with those functions.
DO NOT USE PAGE NUMBERS (1-4, I-IV), or HEADERS of any kind.
*Instructions for Formatting Primary Source Reviews *Achieving 250 Words/24-25 Lines of Text per Page *Carlos R. Rivera.
All left-hand justified. In the upper left corner of your
1st page and single spaced, print your name on line 1, date on
line 2. Title of your reading on line 3-no other citations will
be allowed. In the body, you will use page numbers only for
citations. Skip two more lines. Begin typing the review body
with double spacing. The review will be four pages, no more and
no less. Disable extra line between paragraphs, set offsets to
0. Ask for help with those functions. DO NOT USE PAGE NUMBERS
(1-4, I-IV), or HEADERS of any kind.
Indent the first sentence 5 spaces (use the Tab key) in
each paragraph. In order to achieve the format for the paper,
you must strive for 250 words per page, with margins at one inch
all the way around using Courier New 12 Bolded. You set your
margins and begin counting lines. Don’t panic–there’s an easy
solution to achieving 24-25 lines per text on pages 1-4.
In Word, Click on PAGE LAYOUT in the menu bar, trace down
and select PARAGRAPH, make sure you are on the INDENTS AND
SPACING tab and go to the center section of the dialog box that
says SPACING. Find the box that says LINE SPACING and click on
the down arrow. For a quick solution to the problem of counting
lines, turn your line numbering on until you are ready to do the
final print of the paper. Turning off line numbering–follow the
same steps and remove the check mark, or deselect the option. In
Word: Click PAGE LAYOUT. In the dialog box, click on the LAYOUT
TAB then click on the LINE NUMBER button in the lower left
corner. In the next dialog box place a check, or click, in the
ADD LINE NUMBERING box. The default is to number the lines on
each page from 1-25. You can change that option to sequentially
number every line but it makes tracking on the page a little
harder. Ask if you need help with that function.
There is one more trick you want to make sure and do to
insure you get 24-25 lines per page. Turn off the widows and
orphans lines. Widows and Orphans cause the paragraph to move at
least two lines to the next page to prevent a single line ending
a paragraph on a page. You want the 25 lines per page regardless
of an orphan line.
In Word, Go to PAGE LAYOUT in the menu bar, trace down and
click on PARAGRAPH. This time in the dialog box you want to
click on the LINE AND PAGE BREAK tab. Deselect (remove) every
check so that all boxes are empty. The Widows and Orphans option
is the top box, but you do not want any of the options active
for this type of manuscript typing. Now your lines will end up
at 24-25 lines per page and your word count will average 250.
Some pages will have fewer words, some a few more but that is
acceptable. But, you must have 3 full pages for PSRs and 4 full
pages for book reviews, no more, no less, as per the format.
Questions for Primary Source Reviews–PSRs
1. Provide a short biography of the author in about 1 paragraph.
Who wrote the primary source?
Why did they write it?
What training did they have for their occupation?
Are they associated with any movements?
Are they affiliated with any organizations?
2. Provide an historical context for the primary source in no
more than 2 paragraphs.
When was the selection written?
Was there a specific event or idea that inspired the author to
write the selection?
What big events (wars, elections, protest movements) occurred at
about the same time?
3. Evaluate the primary source’s arguments in about 2 paragraphs
with these ideas, if applicable.
a. TRACE the argument.
Cite the major steps toward the author’s conclusion.
What are the major turning points in the selection?
What types of evidence are offered or used?
Are there any obvious inaccuracies in the argument?
What parts were most/least convincing?
b. Discuss the author’s bias.
How reliable is the author?
What bias does the author offer?
How does that bias influence the author’s work?
Does the author claim to represent a wider ideology or view
point? If so, define and explain that ideology or view point.
How does the author’s view compare to others with similar
ideologies?
How might the author react to other ideologies existing at the
time?
Who are the critics/opponents of the author’s arguments?
Why do these critics disagree with primary source’s author?
4. Be specific in your criticisms. You can quote a very short
phrase the primary source with no notation: no source or page
number. Refer to critics by name and ideology. When reviewing
the primary source, provide enough detail to demonstrate that
you read and understood the selection under review.
