Review the copyright page, the title page, the table of contents, the preface, the index and the introduction for:
Author Information
- Who is the author? Does the book contain an “about the author” page?
- What are the author’s credentials: scholarly affiliations, degrees earned?
- Has the author published other books on this topic? Is it an area of expertise?
- Have you heard of the author from your professor? Have you seen this author cited by others in their works?
- Is the author affiliated with a certain organization: what do you know about the reliability of the organization?
Publisher Information
- Does a university press publish this? A vanity press?
- Was this published by a professional organization or a government organization?
- Is the publisher considered reputable in the field?
Table of Contents/Preface/Introduction
- What is contained within the work?
- Is your topic represented in the work?
- Does the author identify the purpose of the book: to inform, persuade, teach?
Critical Reception of the Work
- Has the work been reviewed in a professional medium?
- Has the work been reviewed in a general evaluative medium, such as Choice?
- Does the review mention the book as valuable to the field? Does the review mention books that might be better?
- Is the book in a second or third edition?
- What are the differences between the editions? Omissions? Additions? Is this a standard source in the field?
- What is the difference between this work and other books published on the same topic?
- What is the date of publication? Is the work out-of-date? Does your topic demand more current information or historical information?
Review the book content for the following:
Audience
- Was the book written for an introductory or advanced audience?
- Does it contain high-level jargon?
- Was it written for students, professors, scholars?
Objectivity or Bias
- Does the book contain enough factual information?
- Does the book give you references so that you can verify the information contained therein?
- Does the material appear to be well-researched?
- Are there any aspects of the topic that have been omitted, or does the book take all aspects into account?
- Is the language free of emotion or bias?
- Is the book research-based: does it have case studies, survey results, study findings?
- Is the book just commentary?
Coverage
- Does the book update other information? How does it cover your topic—in depth, or marginally?
- Does the book contain enough primary sources?
- Analyze the secondary sources: did you need more critical analyses?
- Are there appendixes, glossaries, footnotes, explanatory notes, charts, and graphs?
- Are the sources listed in the bibliography current?
- Does the source give you new ideas about your topic?
Writing Style
- Are the chapters logically arranged?
- Are main points clear?
- Is the text easy to follow?
- Are there clear headings and outlines for the chapters?
