Church History publishes book reviews in two lengths. Larger reviews run 800 to 1000 words, and shorter ones run 200 to 250 words. The editorial assistant in charge of book reviews will specify what length is deemed appropriate for a given book. While a reviewer may request a length other than the one assigned, the final decision remains at the discretion of the editors and staff. Reviews that exceed the assigned limit may be returned for revisions. Reviews are due two months after you receive the book.
Contents and style
The editors request that all book reviews take into account the following elements:
- A presentation of the author's thesis, argument, methodology, and sources.
- A brief summary of the contents of the book.
- An evaluation of the argument, methodology, use of sources, premises, and conclusions of the book, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses.
- The place of the work within the larger context of its field.
- For collected essays: an assessment of the purpose of the collection and its strengths and weaknesses; an evaluation of select individual works (rather than a list of all the contributions; every essay need not be mentioned).
- The inclusion of page number references wherever the text is quoted.
In addition, the editors request that all book reviews offer an honest and fair evaluation of the scholarship under review. The aim is to analyze the book, not the author. The editors recognize that these goals can be achieved in a variety of ways, and they are not looking for one particular format in a review.
The style sheet for book reviews and book notes is printed below.
The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century: Two for One. By Jonathon B. Slough. Studies in Reformation History, 1. London: Edward Arnold, 1997. xiv + 296 pp. $29.95 cloth; $19.95 paper.
Neal Orthodoxy
University of Anystate
Please include information for every author, editor, and translator. (Translated by … Edited by …) The author, editor, translator, and your name should be in bold. Please put the location of your institution below its name if more than one institution holds this name.
Submission procedure
We prefer that contributors submit reviews by email attachment in Word, WordPerfect, or Rich Text Format to chreview@umn.edu.
If the review contains unusual diacritical marks or foreign language characters, please mail or fax the hard-copy in addition to an electronic version so that we can avoid errors. While we do accept reviews submitted on hard copy alone, the electronic version makes our job significantly easier. Reviewers will receive an e-mail or letter confirming the receipt of their review. Church History does not provide complimentary copies of the journal or off prints to reviewers.
The editors reserve the right to make editorial changes to all book reviews; we will consult reviewers only if we make significant alterations. The editors also reserve the right to make final decisions regarding the publication of all book reviews.
If you judge that this book is not worthy of review, or if it requires a shorter or longer review than the editors have requested, please contact the Church History office before writing it.
Please contact our office by e-mail regarding any further questions.
Book Review editors
Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture
Department of History
University of Minnesota
1110 Heller Hall
271 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Email: chreview@umn.edu