Book Reviews

[Pencil75]

Hi everyone,

 

I was just wondering a) how competitive is it to get your book review published by Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, and 2) whether this can improve PhD students' CV (if it does, in what sense?)

I am not even sure whether published book reviews are mentioned in CVs at all. Any ideas? Thanks!  

Edited March 6, 2014 by Pencil75

[Ryura]

NDPR is a special case, since it's the elite of the elite of book reviews. I think it's highly unlikely that any PhD students would be chosen for an NDPR review (note that the reviews are commissioned by NDPR). In one of the Leiter polls NDPR came out at somewhere like the 20th-30th top philosophy journal - the prestige is certainly worth listing.

[Philhopeful]

I've read in other places that book reviews are a great place to get one's feet wet publishing. I've only seen big names in NDPR though. Try somewhere else perhaps.

[PhiPhiPhi]

NDPR is a special case, since it's the elite of the elite of book reviews. I think it's highly unlikely that any PhD students would be chosen for an NDPR review (note that the reviews are commissioned by NDPR). In one of the Leiter polls NDPR came out at somewhere like the 20th-30th top philosophy journal - the prestige is certainly worth listing.

I know that at least some grad students have done NDPR before, because graduate students from my progam have in the past (although those were exceptional students). But in general I completely agree that it's a complete long shot.

[Establishment]

Yes, you can list book reviews on your CV, but they really don't mean much, regardless of if it's a NDPR Book Review or Philosophical Review Book Review. Pretty sure Leiter or someone had a discussion on this at some point.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Establishment

[ZiggyPhil]

I don't think a book review would add much to your CV beyond filling in a blank section (assuming you have no other publications).

Side note, this may help you avoid the temptation to list papers "in review" on your CV to fill in that space, which I've read is generally bad practice, since it is not an achievement in any sense.

 

However, this doesn't mean they're not worthwhile.  Assuming that you wanted to read the book anyway the time a review takes will be pretty small.  For that minimal investment of time you get a free book, good practice writing and polishing your prose for publication, experience with the publication process, and maybe a small boost to your professional prospects.  Seems like a good deal to me.

[Table]

I found this paper by Thom Brooks interesting and helpful. From what he says about book reviews:

 

While the premier journals tend to prefer established academics, I do not know of a second or third level journal that had a problem with postgraduate reviewers. If you want to get your first publication (and a free book!), become a book reviewer today. 

Becoming a reviewer is a piece of cake. Type up a letter (email is also fine) that introduces yourself as someone who is a postgraduate working in a general field on a particular topic, offering to review a book for the said journal. That’s it. Eighty percent of the time or better you will receive a positive response.

...

 

Book reviews are a simple way (in one thousand words or less) of trying out a new style of presenting your ideas on your field that is invaluable. Once you gain a feel for writing for a general audience in this way, writing acceptable articles becomes a far more easier task. 

There are a few more things that can be said about book reviews. Perhaps the best thing about them is that they offer a crucial glimpse at the world of publishing.

 

Leiter (as you can see if you follow the link) doesn't think grad students should spend their time writing book reviews, but it seems like Brooks has a good point about them being a good way to start publishing and practice writing for a larger audience. (though probably not add much to your CV)

Edited March 6, 2014 by Table

[objectivityofcontradiction]

Published a book review in a phil journal (not a top, not a bottom). It is on my CV, and I've been rejected by plenty. Just sayin'

[789Phil]

Is it possible (by that I mean, "is there any likelihood," or "is there any rule against") an undergrad (although, I will graduate soon) trying to submit a book review? It seems the con against writing a review is that it is considered "not time well spent." But, what if I have time to kill. However, what I really want to know is if my undergrad status means an automatic "no," if I were to email and ask to write a review like Brook suggests. After all, he did say "...introduce yourself as someone who is a postgraduate working in a general field on a particular topic." Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Ryura]

Is it possible (by that I mean, "is there any likelihood," or "is there any rule against") an undergrad (although, I will graduate soon) trying to submit a book review? It seems the con against writing a review is that it is considered "not time well spent." But, what if I have time to kill. However, what I really want to know is if my undergrad status means an automatic "no," if I were to email and ask to write a review like Brook suggests. After all, he did say "...introduce yourself as someone who is a postgraduate working in a general field on a particular topic." Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Yes, it just depends on the venue of the book review. If you're interested in philosophy of religion or philosophical theology, Hope Theological Book Review often has books on those topics and allows undergrads to review.

[Kierkegaardashian]

 

Yes, it just depends on the venue of the book review. If you're interested in philosophy of religion or philosophical theology, Hope Theological Book Review often has books on those topics and allows undergrads to review.

 

Thanks for the tip. Anybody else have recommendations for philosophy journals for an undergrad to try to review in?

[Edit_Undo]

Thanks for the tip. Anybody else have recommendations for philosophy journals for an undergrad to try to review in?

http://phi-sigma-tau.org/dialogue.html It is an undergrad/MA journal but edited and reviewed by philosophy professors.