Readers’ Rewards
Professional Reviews Program
Redwing’s Professional Reviews Program of Readers’
Rewards aims to make information for
professionals, by professionals available
to those who use Redwing Books Online as a source for the
information they need. Although reader feedback about books
on complementary and alternative medicine is available from
more than one source, often these sources are unsuited for
readers’ needs because they tend to reflect only an individual
writer’s viewpoint or bias, not the specifics of the
text itself. The Readers’ Rewards program has been drafted
to provide you and your colleagues a non-commercial assessment
of a book so that informed purchase decisions can be made
even when an actual copy of the book cannot be browsed.
Who is eligible to submit a review?
Any individual
without personal or financial association with the author, editor, or publisher
of a book is eligible to submit a review. There is no set limit on the number
of reviews you may submit, but you should review works within your area of
expertise, and you should choose from the list of available titles. Download a
copy of the review form and instructions from our website, www.redwingbooks.com.
How does the Professional Reviews
Program work?
Choose a book that is available for review and that fits your
experience and expertise. Download a copy of the review form and instructions.
If you are not certain whether the review is complete or appropriate, please
feel free to talk to us or to submit the draft review with your questions.
Complete your review and return it to us. Once your forms have been submitted
and has been reviewed for completeness, we will notify you and mark your
account so that your next order will receive a 10% discount. Each review you
submit qualifies for a 10% discount. Multiple reviews can qualify for multiple
orders, but you cannot combine the discount you earn for a single order (e.g.,
three reviews do not earn a 30% discount).
Are there any limits?
There is no set limit on the number of reviews you may submit, but you
should review works within your area of expertise, and you should choose from
the list of available titles (these change on a monthly basis). Commercial
accounts are not eligible for discounts on orders—only individuals, placing
individual orders.
Is anything off limits?
Of course, anything that is false, anything that comments about the
persons rather than the text (what is known as an ad hominum argument), anything that is essentially meant to
dissuade readers. This is a chance to tell people about the books you like, why
you like them, and what they have done for you. The main thrust of the program
is information gathering. If you see what you consider defects, detect matters
that could be improved upon, or have critical insights you wish to share with
others, it is correct to note these in your review. If you feel something could
have been done better, this, too, is part of a good review. However, although
this is a commercial catalog, not a peer review journal, we will extend the
courtesy of a contrary response to the author or publisher. We will publish
their response along with your review; thus the protections due authors in the
publishing of critical reviews will be fully supported.
If someone has already submitted a
review, can I also review that book?
Since so much of the review is centered on information, there is not
too much call for multiple reviews. Yet books that attract a lot of attention
likely deserve more than one point of view. However, introducing too many
reviews of a single title might be confusing; hence we reserve the right to
limit the number of reviews accepted.
Will I get credit for my review?
You name and title(s) will appear with the review. We will not publish
anonymous reviews. We must be able to reach you at your e-mail or
correspondence mailing address to complete the editorial process. Thus we must
be able to contact you directly. Your contact information must be on file with
us, so that you can receive editorial communications. However, your addresses
and access numbers will not be published; and as is always the case with
Redwing, your privacy will be protected.
Instructions and Suggestions
Following are instructions and notes for each entry
on the Professional Review form. You may wish to download a copy (the html
version can be read by a number of word processors) with which to begin your
review. The spaces left for entries on the internet form are not guides, merely
displays. Please feel free to use as much space as you need. If you have
difficulty with any of the entries, please e-mail bob@redwingbooks.com.
Title:
List the full title and any subtitle. With any form of translation,
please list the original title(s) translated or used to produce a compilation.
If this information is not easily available, note it as “not listed.” If there
are too many sources to list reasonably, as for example in a compilation of
many sources, note whether or not the sources are documented with foot- or
end-notes, or simply listed in a bibliography.
Citation:
This is the standard information you would find in the bibliography of
any professional book: Publisher’s name, Date, and Place of Publication.
Author(s):
Use full names and include any/all credentials listed (check the cover
and title page). List their professional status, professional associations,
their association with any commercial firm or enterprise, and any other
pertinent information. The primary concern of a professional reader is to know
the author’s pertinent background and experience, as well as whether they have
personal or financial associations that might bias their views. If association
information is not available from the book itself, note it as “not listed.”
With any form of translation please list translators’ names in addition to
those of the original author(s).
Editor(s):
Is there an editor listed? If so, include the same information as was
used to describe the author(s).
C.O.M.P. Designation:
Though not applicable to every subject area, a Council of Oriental
Medical Publishers designation can usually be found on one of the first pages
of a book published in the last 5 years in the field of acupuncture and
Oriental medicine. It may also sometimes be found at the start of the glossary.
If you do not find one, enter “none” on the form.
Subject:
What is the subject or subjects that this book addresses? There is a
space at the end of the form where you can enter the main headings from the
Table of Contents. Here you should describe the subject of the book using the
author and/or publisher’s choices. The back cover or the front matter are where
to check for this information.
Primary Claim:
What is the foremost claim the author makes? The back cover, or any of
the advertising pieces, generally list what the author believes to be the most
important features of the book. They may also be discussed in front matter such
as the Foreword or Preface. You will be able to express your opinion on this
aspect of the book later; here you should tell your colleagues what the
author(s) have to say. Does the book have an aim or does it represent a step on
a larger publication program; for example, is it a textbook meant to stand
alone, or be used with another book? If it is a reference text, such as a dictionary
or materia medica, what are the features the author(s) consider most important?
If the book makes practical claims, for example, if the author(s) present
treatments or other information useful for some practical purposes, have they
described the research or other experience that is the foundation for the
claims made?
Descriptive Details:
The number of pages, illustrations and photographs can often be determined by looking at the Table of
Illustrations and the Table of Contents. The publication date and edition
number and date are usually found on the Title Page. The physical dimensions of the book can be
noted in any convenient units (e.g., inches, centimeters). For the typography entry note whether the type
is large or small, or any particular features of the typeset or design that
seem important for others to know. The combination of Physical Dimensions and Typography
is meant to give readers a very basic value comparison. For example, often a
large book with large type and large spaces between the lines of type contains
less information than a smaller, more tightly typeset book. For the footnoes or endnotes entry, you do not
need to count the footnotes. If there are only a few scattered footnotes, enter
“few”; if a significant number, enter “many”; if it is a fully documented
scholarly work, enter “copious.” For the Bibliograpy,
Glossary, and Index entries, note
also the number of pages for each. If the book is a translation from a foreign language, note this and the source language if known. Where the foreign text is included, note
applicable details. If there are further special
features or qualities, please list them here.
How did the book come to be written?
Was writing the book an individual effort? Was it supported by any
institution or organization, or paid for by donations or commercial funding?
Did the writer(s) have personal access to people or documents that make the
book unusual or unique? Because these are questions professional reviewers ask,
the answers to this question, as well as to the next three questions, are often
found in the introduction, prologue, preface, or cover summary of the book or
in the advertising for it.
Does the author have any special or
commercial interest that readers should know of?
For example, does the author participate in any area of expertise, or
belong to any organization or groups discussed in the book? Does the author
benefit if you buy or use any product or service described in the book? Are
they involved with the publisher financially, as an employee or principal? If
there are such interests, are these made known to the reader in the book? Has
the author provided this information in the book?
Is there a particular viewpoint at
the root of this book?
For example, if the book represents a particular organization or
school of thought, is that made clear in the text? Does it represent the ideas
of a particular tradition and, if so, is it discussed? Is the book addressed to
a particular need?
Was the book written for a specific
purpose?
If the author does not discuss the purpose of the text in their own
words, is there a clear intention in the layout, design, or content of the book
itself? For example, if the book is laid out as step-by-step procedures, it is
fair to assume that the authors meant it to be used as a practical guide to the
subject.
Who is the intended reader?
Is it a book for professionals, students, or some other specific
readership? If no mention is made of this intent, note whether the author(s)
assume a particular background, training, or the use of specific source books
or references.
How old is the book and what
experiences are associated with it?
Some books—such as classic books concerning traditional skills or
philosophies—were written earlier than the editions now available. If this is
the case, when was the book originally published, what of its reputation is
known to you, and if there have been problems with prior editions what has been
done about these problems in the current edition? What group or groups of
readers have used this book? What group or groups endorse this book?
Does the book provide the evidence
necessary for peer evaluation?
The author’s peers are those who have the same skills as the author(s)
and are thus able to evaluate the claims the author makes. For example, if the
book is a translation, is the source identified? Are any additions or
reductions of the source noted? If the book presents research, is the data
necessary for checking the author’s conclusion made available—i.e., are there
bibliographic entries for works cited?
What are the book’s strong points?
In your own words, what did this book do well? If you are using the
book for a particular purpose, what is that purpose?
What are the book’s weak points?
In your own words, what did this book do poorly? What does it lack for
the purpose you purchased it, or for the purpose claimed in the book or its
advertising?
How does the book relate to
comparable books?
Are there conflicts with other texts? Does it represent a development
with respect to earlier texts? Should it be read in association with any other
text or texts? What features distinguish it from similar texts?
Summary
Does the book accomplish its aim? If it falls short, in what ways? If
it is particularly successful, what makes it so?
Overall rating on a scale of 1 to 10.
An overall rating of “1” describes a book that fails to do what it
claims to do in very substantial way. To have a rating of “10” a book should
not only satisfy your personal criteria but provide the substantive foundation
information that readers with viewpoints different from yours would need in
order to choose to read or not read this book.