PART A: List of Guidelines for Writing a Book Review

The goal of any well-written book review should be to take the reader of
the review through the major argument or arguments of the book with a critical eye, enabling
readers of the review to locate the book within scholarly traditions argues ………This essay aims
at discussing an integrated list of guidelines for writing a scholarly book review.
Vyhmeister,2008, p. 183, reports that “a students’ book review should contain four main parts”
and this article will explore those guidelines in depth.
Firstly the book review should have a bibliographical entry.Vyhmeister advises that the
process of book review should start by providing full bibliographic details of the book that
should include: author, title, edition, publisher, place of publication, and year of publication. He
further adds that the number of pages in the book should be included. () also agrees that all
reviews begin with bibliographic information such as author’s name, the book’s full title, place
of publication, publisher, edition, date,pagination, and cost, if known. Craswell and Poore 2013,
add that the process of book review should start with looking at the title , the table of contents,
and person who is reviewing the book should also read the preface and introduction with the aim
of gaining understanding of the central focus and coverage of the book.
According to Vyhmeister the second guideline in the book review process is author ‘s
information. This agrees well with ……….who noted that “immediately following the
bibliographical information is the information of the person reviewing the book.” This
information is so vital to the reader of the book review because it will reveal author’s credentials
of his or her influences or beliefs. Vyhmeister(2008, p. 184) asserts that by using google scholar
you are able to search author’s information such as “the articles the person has written, as well
as reviews of books he or she has published.” While Vyhmeister has focused much on
information of the author as the second step in book review process, Craswell second step is
focusing capturing the aspects of the book itself. He advises that the book reviewer should
analyse the strengthens and weaknesses of the book.
Summary is the third guidelines. Vyhmeister reports that the summary should synthesize
the thrust of the book and its arguments. () argues that a book review is a descriptive and
critical evaluation account of a book that provides a summary of the content,
assesses the value of the book, and recommends it to other potential readers.
Craswell pointed out that in summarise the whole conted of the book you need
to read more closely the sections of the book that are relevant to strengths and
weaknesses of the book.

The evaluation is also another part of book review. Vyhmeister(2008) asserts

that the evaluation should be based on the basis of the author’s own objectives. He futher add
that the evaluation may include the comparison whereby the books or articles written by the
same author are compared. This aurgues well with Craswell and Poore, 2013,who asserts that
the conclusion should provide a summary evaluation of the overall contribution made by the
book to the subject area.
In conclusion, in today’s world with the advent of technology, many books are written
and published that becomes difficult for a person to read everything. Book review has become a
solution to this problem. Therefore, knowing the steps of producing a book review become
paramount.

Reference
Craswell, G. and Poore, M., 2013. Writing for Academic Success.(2nd, ed.). London:
SAGE Publications Ltd.

Lewis ,M, 2020. Hints on writing a book review for Academic Journals.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0033688220916239

Vyhmeister, N.J. 2008. Quality Research Papers: For Students of Religion and Theology. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
PART B. Steps Needed to Convert an Academic Paper
Khadimally, S. addmits that converting your dissertation into a shorter academic article in a peer-
reviewed scholarly journal is a daunting task that is rarely addressed in the realm of academia.
Devitt, p. 2013 arugues that many junior academics face challenges when embarking on this
process, among them: writer’s block, fear of rejection, and criticism. The author further noted
that getting familiarize yourself with this important roadmap that outlines how to effectively
condense your dissertation into a publishable journal article becomes an achievement in
academic circles. This essay therefore lists ordered steps needed to convert an academic paper
into an article suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
According to Craswell and Poore, 2013, has outlined four steps that are vital when someone
wants to convert academic paper into an article that can be recommeded for publication.
The first step is being professional. Craswell and Poore noted that the author has to be
systematic, persistent and amenable to editing and they should revise their work in order to make
it publishable. Wong, J. 2013, reports that writing academic papers is a skill that requires
careful planning, research, and revision. He noted that academic papers are expected to follow
certain standards of format, style, and quality that reflect the purpose, audience, and discipline of
the topic so that they can meet professional standards.
The second step is coming up with a good abstract. Craswell and Poore highlights that a well
written abstract attracts as many readers as possible. Kookpman also agrees that abstracts allow
readers who may be interested in the paper to quickly decide whether it is relevant to their
purposes and whether they need to read the whole paper. He also add that an abstract must be
fully self-contained and make sense by itself, without further reference to outside sources or to
the actual paper. It highlights key content areas, your research purpose, the relevance or
importance of your work, and the main outcomes.
Furmore, Craswell and Poore, 2013, have cited reviewing scholarly practices as an important
aspect for shaping a paper for publication.

Craswell, G. and Poore, M., 2013. Writing for Academic Success.(2nd, ed.). London:
SAGE Publications Ltd.

Devitt, P. 2013. Ten steps to convert your assignment into a journal article.
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2007.16.6.23015. Accessed on 9 February,2024.
Khadimally, S. 2020. How to convert your dissertation into a Journal article.
https://www.aclang.com/blog/how-to-convert-your-dissertation/. Accessed on 9 February
2024
Koopman, Phil 2012. How to Write an Abstract
http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.ht ml>. Accessed on February 9,
2024

Wong, J. 2013. How can you write academic papers that meet professional standards.
https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-can-you-write-academic-papers-meet-professional-
standards. Accessed on 9 February,2024.

SEDA KHADIMALLY

Part B (5% of course grade): Steps Needed to Convert an Academic Paper

Develop a list of logically ordered (sequential) steps needed to convert an academic paper or
essay into an article suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Utilize the instructions in
Craswell and Poore (2012, chapter 12 [2005, chapter 9]) when identifying these conversion
steps. Explain each step in one to two paragraphs. (one to two pages)