Hispania Journal Book Review Guide

Editorial Policy for Book Reviews in Hispania

1. The review should provide a description of the book’s contents and critical commentary, i.e., it should not be merely descriptive or analytical, but provide both types of information.

2. Any negative criticism should be directed toward the contents of the book and not toward the author personally. Avoid unduly severe language, as well as the appearance of an "unbalanced" review (i.e., strive for objectivity and fairness).
            N.B.: If a book proves so deficient that a balanced review is not feasible,
            notify the Review Editor, and you will be assigned another book for review
            as soon as one is available. Hispania’s space for reviews is quite limited, and
            since it is impossible to review all books received, the editorial board prefers
            to select the more significant ones.

3. Hispania recognizes the validity of numerous critical approaches, and no book should be negatively evaluated solely on the basis of the critical or theoretical model. Reviewers should be demanding but also open minded in their appraisals.

4. Reviewers should not allude to their own work in the review.

5. The Book Review Editor and journal Editor reserve the right to make format and stylistic changes in reviews submitted. If the reviewer does not follow the guidelines (and word limits) in preparation of the review, reviews may be returned for revision. Failure to observe the editorial policy may result in the editors’ decision that the review is not appropriate for Hispania or could occasion extensive rewriting.

Send completed review (hard copy + diskette) to:
Dr. Ricardo Landeira, Hispania Review Editor
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0278

Included on a separate sheet of paper, headed with the title of the review, your complete address, with home and office telephone numbers. Retain a copy of the review and your copy of the book in question until the review appears in print (in case it is necessary to verify details).

Guidelines for Hispania Reviewers

1. SUBMIT HARD COPY AND DISKETTE (WordPerfect 5.1 or later preferred; IBM, or IBM compatible).

2. Leave margins of 1.25 inches on left and right margins and 1 inch on top and bottom margins.

3. Use format or type-face of 61-70 characters per line, e.g., Times New Romans 12 pt.

4. Single-space throughout the review. Avoid extensive Quotations.

5. Cite the book as follows: Last name of author, First name. Title of book. City of publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Number of Pages. ISBN DATA.
            a) List multiple authors as follows: Borges, Jorge Luis and Adolfo Bioy
              Casares. Sola_Solé, Josep M., Alessandro S. Crisafulli, and Siegfied A.
                Schultz, editors,
            b) Write out editor(s), edited by, etc.
            c) Do not include Inc., Co., or S.A. with name of publisher.
            d) If the city is not easily identified with the state or country, include this
                information, written out, e.g., Newark, Delaware; Santiago, Chile.

6. In titles and quotations, follow the form used by the author. The editor/proofreader will not have access to the book. Accuracy in quotations—which should be minimal—is the responsibility of the reviewer.

7. Do give page numbers for any material quoted from the book. However, do NOT use footnotes or endnotes in reviews.

8. Avoid language that may be construed as sexist, e.g., "The student may find that he cannot follow the text," or "The reader will notice his attention lagging." The plural is preferable to he/she, his/her, s/he, and similar constructions.

9. Use Arabic numerals for chapters (Chapter 8). Unless the specific case requires numerals (e.g., "line 43"), write out numbers less than 100: eighty-one untitled sections, thirty-nine lessons, etc. In accord with MLA, DO NOT CAPITALIZE parts of book (e.g., preface, chapter).

10. Avoid etc., Professor, Prof., Mr., Ms., Dr., Sr., Sra., Da., D., and the use of abbreviated names (Wm., Chas., G. Lorca, etc.) as well as the use of initials in place of titles (e.g., write out Libro de Buen Amor rather than LBA.

11. Be consistent in spelling and punctuation (American usage preferred to British). Use the MLA Style Manual for questions of punctuation, capitalization, and hyphenation. Include all accents and tildes.

12. Write your name and academic affiliation at the end (right margin). Reviews are NOT submitted "blind."

Instructions for Formatting Reviews for Hispania

1. Use either Microsoft Word (any of later versions) or WordPerfect 5.1 or later.

2. Do NOT indent first paragraph.

3. DASH: Represent with two hyphens with no space before or after--i.e., (--) not (–).

4. Ellipsis: (See MLA 2.6.4) For words OMITTED BY THE REVIEWER: three
periods, each separated by a space, not including final punctuation for sentences. For ellipsis in the original text, use periods, without intervening space.

5. Fonts: Use standard fonts and do not change sizes or types within the review, beyond required Italics and Bolding in the title and reviewer’s name and affiliation.

6. Hyphenation: DON’T.

7. Internal Spacing: ONLY ONE SPACE after ALL punctuation, including periods, colons, question marks, etc.

8. Line spacing: Single space ALL text throughout, except double-space before and after blocked quotations, if any.

9. Margins: One inch on both top and bottom and 1.25 inches on left and right margins; right margin uneven (do NOT "Full" justify).

10. Paragraphs: Use TAB, not the space bar. Don’t leave a blank line between paragraphs.

11. Underline: DON’T. Use italics instead.

12. For other matters, follow specifications in the Guidelines for Reviewers for Hispania.