ARLIS/NA Reviews Reviewer Guidelines

Materials to be Reviewed:

• reference materials
• foreign language publications
• exhibition catalogs
• catalogues raisonnes
• regional art publications
• monographs and standard publications

1. specific interest to art and architecture librarians
2. less than two years old
3. not reviewed in most other library literature

Review Guidelines

1. Reviews should be written for the art and architecture librarian to use as a selection aid and for reference self-education. The following should be considered and noted in the review when relevant:
   • brief analysis of the item's content
   • intended audience or level
   • style and quality of writing, design, and production
   • type and quality of illustrations or reproductions
   • evaluative comments, comparing to other works on the same subject
   • scholarly apparatus (e.g., indexes, appendixes, bibliographies)
   • physical structure (e.g., durability of binding, signatures, paper quality)
2. Reviews of reference titles should be a maximum of 600 words, including the bibliographic citation. Reviews of monographs, exhibition catalogs, and other standard publications should be a maximum of 450 words, including the bibliographic citation.


3. Reviewers who wish to be notified of editorial changes in reviews before publication or who wish to make further changes themselves, must request notification when submitting the review, or contact the Editor before deadline. Otherwise, all editorial decisions are at the discretion of the Editor.


4. All reviews should be signed by the reviewer and include: name, title, library / place of employment, and email. An example follows:
   

   John Jones, Bibliographer, East Asian Collections, Thomas J. Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art, john.jones@metmuseum.org



5. The Chicago Manual of Style should be consulted for grammar and style questions.


6. Due dates of three to six weeks will be assigned.


7. Titles reviewed for ARLIS/NA Reviews may not be reviewed for another publication by the same reviewer.


8. Reviews which do not meet standards for content or length will be edited by the Review Editor or may be returned to the reviewer for revision.


9. Reviewers should retain a copy of their review for their records.


10. Listed below are additional style guidelines:
    • avoid the use of noun strings, jargon, and trendy expressions
    • avoid split infinitives
    • numbers one through ninety-nine are spelled out; thereafter use arabic numbers
    • gender-neutral phrasing is preferred
    • preferred word forms: online, videodisk, 1980s, catalog, nineteenth century (noun), nineteenth-century (adjective)
    • all titles of publications should be italicized, not underlined

Submitting a Review

1. Reviews will be accepted via email (preferred: .doc or txt. attachment) to: jstahl@mountvernon.org


2. Start your review with the bibliographic citation.


3. Reviews received after the deadline will be considered for inclusion in the ARLIS / NA Reviews at the discretion of the Editor.