Book Review Directions

Individuals interested in performing a book review should contact

Hugue A. Ouellette, MD, Book Review Editor
Radiology Editorial Office
800 Boylston Street, 15th Floor
Boston, MA 02199

Following are some general guidelines:

The completed review should provide the reader with enough information to determine whether he or she is interested in reading or purchasing the book. For editing purposes, please type reviews double-spaced and include full name, address, and phone number of reviewer on the review.

The Review: Book reviews for Radiology should be no more than 400 words in length.

Please read the book’s preface carefully, because the book’s author should describe in the preface for whom the book is intended. Please make sure in your review of the text that you look at the book from the point of view of the intended audience and not necessarily from your personal point of view.

Book reviewers should generally adhere to the following sequence: (a) introductory paragraph: Present the aim and scope of the book (this information is usually summarized in the author’s preface); indicate the intended audience; note the book authors’ background, especially if not radiologists; and answer the question, Does the book answer any particular need? (b) Brief summary of contents: Indicate the book’s organization (sections, chapters, etc); give a representative list of the topics of some or all of the chapters (need not be an exhaustive or exhausting list). (c) Critique: Is the book well organized? Is it written clearly and succinctly? What is the quality of printing, paper, illustrations, figures, and tables? Do the figures and illustrations enhance the text, and are there too many or too few? Are there any major errors or particular omissions? (Please do not comment on a punctuation, typographic, or grammatical error on page 218, line 25!) If a new edition, what changes or improvements? (d) Conclusions and final comments: Does the book fulfill its intended purpose and meet the needs of its target audience? Compare with other similar texts (do not list names of other texts, but provide general comparisons). Comment on the cost of the book. Who (if anyone) should buy the book?

Return the completed review to the Radiology Editorial Office, 800 Boylston Street 15th Floor Boston, MA 02199, or e-mail Suzette Kelleher (skelleher@rsna.org).

Books for review