Book Review Guidelines

Book review guidelines

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI) reviews new non-fiction books on the intersection of equity, diversity, social justice, and information relevant to its readers. The IJIDI uses a diversity and inclusion lens to review books of interest to scholars, researchers and practitioners in the library and information science and related fields for the purposes of professional development, collection development, student education, and readers’ advisory.

Publishers are invited to send review copies and announcements to the Book Review Editor, Travis Wagner, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Information Sciences, 501 E. Daniel St. MC-493, Champaign, IL 61820-6211, email: wagnert@illinois.edu. 

Book reviewers

Books are selected by the Book Review Editor, but title suggestions are appreciated. The IJIDI welcomes reviewers from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations. We welcome reviewers from all parts of the world.  Prospective reviewers may write to the Book Review Editor indicating their qualifications and special areas of interest.

Submission basics

All new and revised book reviews must be submitted through The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)'s online submission portal. Book reviews should be about 1000-1500 words.

The following files are mandatory during submission:

  1. A cover letter that provides the bibliographic information of the book you are reviewing, the issue that the book review is for, and a statement that conveys that the book review has not been previously published, nor is it before any other journal for consideration, and, the book review author's name and signature (can be electronic) in the closing.
  2. The IJIDI Book Review Title Page with all mandatory fields completed. Please download the IJIDI Book Review Submission Title Page and submit it along with your file (uploaded as Supplementary File when prompted by the system).
  3. Your book review (uploaded as a Submission File when prompted by the system). The book review text can be in Microsoft Word or RTF format.

Other formatting requirements

The text should be:
1. double-spaced
2. 1" margins around
3. 12-point Times New Roman font, and
4. employ italics rather than underlining (except with URL addresses)
5. APA style, 7th edition

Language

Your book review should be written in grammatically and stylistically correct English (any English is acceptable insofar as authors remain consistent in their usage). Authors who feel that their language requires editing and/or proofreading are strongly encouraged to have their papers professionally edited and/or proofread before submission. Numerous stylistic and grammatical errors and awkward language may ruin an impression of an otherwise worthwhile paper.

Book review structure

  1. Each book review will start with the book citation using APA style, 7th edition, including the ISBN-13, number of pages, and the retail price of the book in US dollars. For example,

Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor.  St. Martin’s. ISBN 978-1250074317. 272 pp. $26.99 US.

Estep, E., & Enright, N. F. (Eds.). (2016). Class and librarianship: Essays at the intersection of information, labor and capital. Library Juice. ISBN 978-1936117741.186 pp. $28 US.

  1. Followed by the name of the reviewer (first and last name). 

  2. Book reviews will not normally require references, but if needed, please use APA, 7th edition style and the reference style examples listed under submission guidelines for articles (https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi/about/submissions)

Conflict of interest

To ensure objectivity, reviewers should refrain from reviewing books written by authors with whom they have had close professional or personal relationships. Reviewers who feel that, for any reason, they cannot provide an unbiased review of a specific title should refrain from reviewing this title or decline to review it, if asked.

Contact details for submission

Please contact the IJIDI Book Review Editor (Travis Wagner) with any questions you may have regarding your submission.