Book Reviews - About
A book review, or critical review,
is an evaluation of an author's
work in which the reviewer delineates
the success or failure of the work in the light of the author's purpose.
A review does the following:
- Tells what the author does.
- Tells how well he/she does
it (reviewer's opinion).
- Gives examples from the work
to support the evaluation.
- Presents
an evaluation as free from bias
and prejudice as possible so that
the reader of the review can form
his/her own opinion of the work.
- Compares the book with others
of similar nature.
Almost all college level English
composition textbooks contain
information about writing book reviews. For example,
Simon & Schuster Handbook for
Writers, PE1408.T696
LRC-R
The Little English Handbook,
PE1408.C587 LRC-R
To find other discipline related and general books on writing book reviews, such as those listed below, use the library catalog.
Biomedical Scientific
& Technical Book Reviewing,
Z1035.A1C46
A Short Guide to Writing
a Critical Review, PN98.B7A4
Steps to Finding a Book Review
Books reviews are generally found
in periodicals (journals, magazines
or newspapers). To locate a review
in a periodical, search a database or look in a print
index and then locate the full text of the book review. (Indexes tell you which
journals have specific book reviews.)
- Have the necessary information, such as
-Complete title of book
-Author's full name
-Date of copyright
-Edition of book
-Whether it is a reprint (If not
a first edition, you may need
to know the original copyright
date.)
- Search a relevant database or look
in an appropriate print index
to identify where a review can
be found.
- Find the actual review
article.
In a database:
If the full
text of the review article is
available in the database, click the appropriate
link--HTML, PDF, or linked full
text.
If full text is not available,
click the link "Check for
article availability" (or
similar link) to see if the article
is available elsewhere in the
library. Look for the years and
volumes that you need. Identify
the format (online, microform,
print). If the years/volumes you
need are in microform or print
you will need to record the call
number. Microfilm and print periodicals
are located in the Periodicals
area, LRC-4th floor. Assistance
is available at the Reference
In a print index:
Once you identify a periodical
where your book review can be
found, record (or print) the citation
information: the periodical title,
date, volume/issue, and page number. Search for the exact periodical title in ORU's A-Z Journal
List and follow the links to the full text.
Note: If the article is
not available at ORU, you can request it through the
online Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
link in the database or
online ILL form.
Databases
Some databases allow you to limit
the search to book reviews as shown
in the examples below.
Although you
can search a general index such as Academic Search Premier, subject specific
indexes related to the book topic
may contain more reviews and greater
depth.
Note: Not all databases will contain
full text. For more information see Find Articles.
| General
subjects |
|
|
|
| Religion
/ Theology |
ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials for reviews of
scholarly theological books.
- On the Refine Search tab
for Publication Type choose
Review.
- Enter the author or title
of the book in the Find
text box. (Use quotation
marks to search the title
as a phrase.)
|
|
Christian
Periodical Index (for reviews of more popular
materials)
- Click the Index tab.
- For Index to Search, choose Document Type (DT).
- Mark the check box for Review.
- Enter your term, such
as an author or title.
|
|
|
| Education |
Education Research Complete
- In Advanced Search, for
Document Type choose Book
Review.
- Enter the author or title
of the book in the Find
text box. (Use quotation
marks to search the title
as a phrase.)
ERIC
- In Advanced Search, for
Publication Type choose
Book/Product Review.
- Enter the author or title
of the book in the Find
text box. (Use quotation
marks to search the title
as a phrase.)
|
|
|
| Alternative
Resources - For Synopsis/Annotations |
Books
in Print (BIP)
If you are unable
to find a book review, searching
Books in Print may be helpful.
There are no signed book
reviews but most book records
include a synopsis and some
include multiple reviews.
-
Type your
search.
- From the list of records,
use the BIP Legend icons
that precede the book title to identify which titles
have Reviews and/or Synopsis.
- Click the title to access
the full record.
|
|
- Click the Title Reviews
tab, if available.
|
|
Print Indexes
For older books, except for
theology since ATLA Religion Database
goes back to 1949, you may need
to use the bound indexes in the
Reference Room (LRC-R) or Periodicals
area index shelf (LRC-P). The
oldest volumes are shelved in
the main collection.
When using a print index:
- Look
in the
volume with the year your book
was copyright, or in the following
two or three years.
- Locate the "Book Review" section.
- Look up by title or author.
Listed below
are some of the bound indexes
in the ORU library. Many of these
volumes cannot be accessed online. Older volumes are at the same call number in the main collection.
Subject |
Title
and Call Number |
General
Sources of Book Reviews
|
Book Review Digest (1905-1992) - Z1219.C95 LRC-R
Book Review Index (1965-1993) - Z1035.A1B6
LRC-R |
| Religion |
Christian
Periodicals Index (1956-2000) - Z7753.C5 LRC-P
and online
Index to Book Reviews
in Religion (1986-1991)
- Z7751.I52 LRC-P (Supersedes
the book review section of
Religion Index One after 1985.)
Religion Index One (1949-1985) Book Review Section
- Z7753.A5 LRC-P |
History,
Humanities, Political Science
and Sociology |
America:
History and Life (Part B, Book Reviews) (1974-1993)
- Z1236.A48 PT.B LRC-P
Combined Retrospective
Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly
Journals (1886-1974)
- Z1035.A1C6 LRC-5
Index to Book Reviews
in the Humanities (1961-1988)
- Z1035.A1I63 LRC-R |
Children's
Books |
Children's Book Review
Index (1965-1992)
- Z1037.A1C475 LRC-R
Children's Literature
Review (1976-1993)
- Z1037.A1C5 LRC-R |
