Why write a book review for Neotestamentica?

A book review is an important part of an academic’s publication portfolio. Apart from introducing new research, a book review showcases the reviewer’s expertise. The benefit of a book review in Neotestamentica is the fact that the full text of a book review may be distributed publicly, immediately after publication. A book review in Neotestamentica can thus be uploaded to academic social media platforms to enhance the exposure of an academic’s publication profile. Internet searches on book reviews normally tend to draw more attention than specialised articles.

Guidelines for doing a book review for Neotestamentica

A book review is an authoritative, critical and evaluative reflection on a published book. Book reviews for Neotestamentica should focus on recently published books, preferably not older than 3 years. If there are particular books that a reviewer wants to review but does not have access to, the book review editor (currently Philip.DuToit@nwu.ac.za) can be contacted to see if a review copy can be acquired from the publisher, preferably in electronic form. While part of a book review can be summative, it is important that such comments are reflective and evaluative and not merely a summary of the book. Typically, a book review starts by introducing the writer and providing some background and context about the publication under review. Critical and evaluative comments about the content or main arguments of the book are expected. Some of the underlying questions that a book review can address (although not necessarily all of them) are the following:

• What niche within a particular subject field does the book address and what contribution does the book make in that particular subject field?
• To what other publications within the same subject field can the book under review be compared and how does it compare?
• How well and how thoroughly does the author(s) address a particular subject field?
• What is the academic value of the book?
• Who is the intended audience of the book?
• Can the book be recommended?
• What are the shortcomings of the book?

It is expected that at least some of the above questions are addressed within the review, especially in the concluding remarks.

Formatting and length

• Ideally, a book review for Neotestamentica should be around 1200 to 1700 words.
• Sources can be referenced within a book review, using the same Harvard method of referencing as in articles published in the journal.
• The same general editing guidelines apply for a book review as an article published in Neotestamentica.
• When pages of the book under review are referenced, only the page number(s) are provided in brackets (e.g., “Smith argues that… (54).”).
• Book reviews should start with the Author(s)’ surname and initials (in bold), date, title, series (if applicable), publisher, place of publication, ISBN number, number of pages, and price in dollars (e.g., “Beale, G. K. 2019. Colossians and Philemon. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0801026676. Pp. 514. $36.79.”).
• Book reviews should end with the reviewer’s name, initials, surname, affiliation, and email address.

Click here for a sample book review.

(Updated 20/04/2023)