Follow your outline. Use standard written English. When in doubt, consult The McGraw-Hill College Handbook or similar reference. Most historical works use the Chicago format rather than MLA.
I. Some guidance on how to submit your book reviews. Write your review in a word processor like Microsoft WORD. Save your work in a rich text format (.rtf file). After saving your work, enter the course and locate the Turnitin.com drop box for that book. Create a title with your last name and the title of the book. I will grade the work and leave comments in My Grades. Please review the rubric below for my grading policy.
II. The cover page should contain in the center of the page the title of the work under review. (Reviews seldom have titles of their own.) Below the title should appear your name. Toward the bottom of the page should be your course number (History 1301, 1302, or 2301), and the date submitted. Please see this link: http://www.writingmechanics.com/Hacker-Bish-CMS-Title.pdf.
III. The review should be printed double-spaced using Arial style 12 point type and the left and right margins should be set at 1.25 inches. The typical review should be no longer than three pages.
IV. If you quote from the book under review, simply follow the quotation with the page number(s) in parentheses. For example: “The author makes the incredible assertion, ‘Jefferson turned out to be America’s worst president’ (p. 345).”
V. If you need to cite other sources for quotations, points of view, or facts, use a standard citation style. If you use outside sources, be sure to include a Works Cited page. Please see the following link: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/. Please be sure to read Avoiding Plagiarism located under Supplemental information.
VI. Don’t be afraid to be critical of the book because your professor has selected it to read or you are intimidated by the credentials of the author. If you don’t like the book say so but be sure to explain why you don’t like the book.
VII. Writing this review is not difficult. You can do well on the assignment if you follow the basic guidelines above.
You may find it helpful to read published book reviews as a guide to the preparation of your own review. Most historical journals, including the American Historical Review and the Journal of American History, publish many short reviews at the end of each issue. Reviews in American History, which prints longer reviews, is especially useful. To determine where reviews of the particular book you have chosen have been published, consult the Book Review Digest or the Book Review Index. Assume that your audience is college educated and well read, but do not assume that your hypothetical reader has an in-depth knowledge about the subject of the book under review.
8. The Rubric
The table below is a rubric that I will use to grade your review. You can also use the rubric before you submit your assignment to “self-grade” your own review. Accomplishing this step will prevent you from overlooking one of the requirements for the assignment.
Objective/
Criteria
Performance Indicators
Not Acceptable
Needs Improvement
Meets Expectations
Exceptional
Total Points
Cover Sheet
No cover sheet (0 pts)
Cover Sheet is included as outlined in the assignment requirements (5 pts)
Required Font
Required font not used (0 pts)
Arial, 12 pt font is used as outlined in the assignment requirements (5 pts)
Author Background Information & Works Cited Page
Biographical information is minimal or missing entirely. (0 pts)
Biographical information does not include two of these categories – education, other historical works or career achievements.(5 pts)
Biographical information does not include one of these categories – education, other historical works or career achievements.(10 pts)
Biographical information is provided including education, other historical works and career achievements.(15 pts)
Theme/Thesis
Author’s thesis or presentation of the biographical subject is not stated (0 pts)
Author’s thesis or presentation of the biographical subject is not clearly stated (5 pts)
Author’s thesis or presentation of the biographical subject is somewhat clearly stated (10 pts)
Author’s thesis or presentation of the biographical subject is clearly stated (15 pts)
Spelling
The review contains an abundance of spelling errors that detract the reader from the content. (0 pts)
The review contains several spelling errors. (5 pts)
The review contains a few spelling errors. (10 pts)
The review contains no spelling errors. (15 pts)
Grammar
The review contains an abundance of grammatical errors that detract the reader from the content. (0 pts)
The review contains several grammatical errors. (5 pts)
The review contains a few grammatical errors. 10 pts)
The review contains no grammatical errors. (15 pts)
Style/Readability
Big problems in sentence structure, grammar and diction. Frequent major errors in punctuation, citation style and spelling. May have many run-on sentences and comma splices. (0 pts)
Problems in sentence structure, grammar and diction. Errors in punctuation, citation style and spelling. May have several run-on sentences or comma splices. (5 pts)
Sentence structure, grammar and diction strong despite occasional lapses. Punctuation and citation style often used correctly. Some (minor) spelling errors; May have one run-on sentence or comma splice. (10 pts)
Sentence structure, grammar and diction excellent; correct use of punctuation and citation style; minimal to no spelling errors; no run-on sentences or comma splices. (15 pts)
Recommendation
No recommendation given. (0 pts)
Recommendation given with no explanation. (5 pts)
Recommendation given with limited explanation. (10 pts)
Recommendation given with clear and complete explanation. (15 pts)
