Steps in writing a book review

• Scan the books preliminaries

  Before beginning to read, consider the following:

  Title - What does it suggest?

  Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the book and will help you to determine the success of the work.

  Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.
• Title - What does it suggest?
• Preface - Provides important information on the author's purpose in writing the book and will help you to determine the success of the work.
• Table of Contents - Tells you how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author's main ideas and how they are developed - chronologically, topically, etc.
• Read the text

  Record impressions as you read and note effective passages for quoting. Keep these questions in mind:

  What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field, if necessary.)

  From what point of view is the work written? How accurate is the information in the book? Finally, what has the book accomplished? Is further work needed? Compare the book to others by this author or by others. (Use the listing in the bibliography.)
• Consult additional sources

  Try to find further information about the author - his/her reputation, qualifications, influences, etc. - any information relevant to the book being reviewed and could help to establish the author's authority. Knowledge of the literary period and of critical theories can also be helpful to your review. Your professor and/or reference librarian will be able to suggest sources to use.
• Prepare an outline

  Carefully review your notes and attempt to unify your impressions into a statement that will describe the purpose or thesis of your review. Then, outline the arguments that support your thesis. Your arguments should develop the thesis in a logical manner.
• Write the draft

  Skim your notes again; then, using the outline as a guide and referring to notes when necessary, begin writing. Your book review should include the following:
• Preliminary Information - the complete bibliographic citation for the work ie. title in full, author, place, publisher, date of publication, edition statement, pages, special features (maps, color plates, etc.), price, and International Standard Book Number or ISBN.
• Introduction - Try to capture the reader's attention with your opening sentence. The introduction should state your central thesis, and set the tone of the review
• Development - Develop your thesis using supporting arguments as set out in your outline. Use description, evaluation, and if possible, explanation of why the author wrote as he/she did. Use quotations to illustrate important points or peculiarities.
• Conclusion - If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new material at this point.
• Revise the draft

  Allow some time to elapse before going over your review, to gain perspective.

  Carefully read through the text, looking for clarity and coherence.

  Correct grammar and spelling.

  Verify quotes for proper footnoting.