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Tom Conner, Ph.D.
The NECTFL Review
Contact information:
Department of Foreign Languages
St.
De Pere,
Phone: 920/403-3102
Fax: 920/403-4086
e-mail:
tom.conner@snc.edu
Guidelines for Preparing a Review
for The NECTFL Review
Updated January 2008
PUBLISHER'S
STATEMENT
The NECTFL
Review, published by the
Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, welcomes reviews of
learning materials in all foreign languages taught in the
GETTING STARTED
If you are interested in writing a review or know of a new
product in your language that has not already been reviewed in our pages, I
encourage you to contact me. I would like to hear from you and would welcome
your ideas and suggestions. All previously published reveiws are available on
our Website at www.nectfl.org (follow the
“publications” link.)
Even if I cannot accommodate your request immediately, I will put your name on my list of potential reviewers and contact you when I receive something of interest to you.
Please provide me with the following information: the
foreign language you teach, the classes you teach and the level at which you
teach, your educational background and area of expertise, your home institution
and title, and any previous experience as a reviewer. If you like, you may also
send me your CV and a sample of your written work.
WRITING THE
REVIEW
Typically I will give you at
least two to three months (or longer) to prepare your review. The NECTFL
Review appears twice a year and publishes approximately 30 reviews in each
issue. At present I am accepting proposals for the Spring
2009 issue.
After you receive a product to review, you will need to analyze it
carefully in order to determine its usefulness in the classroom. This obviously
will take time, especially if you are reviewing a course packet that includes a
text, a workbook, a CD-ROM, a video, an audiocassette, a teacher's manual, a
test bank, etc. Some programs these days are extremely comprehensive and
include as many as a dozen ancillaries.
A review is not
only a summary, but also (and above all) a critical evaluation. Your review
should accomplish all of the
following:
1. describe the
product (its components, including technical information when relevant)
2. describe the
target audience
3. analyze methodology
(i.e., conception and organization); for example, does the text follow
the “communicative method”? does it adopt the
“national standards” of competence in the
foreign languages promoted by educators around the country?
4. critique the
product (e.g., discuss its strengths and weaknesses, state how well you think
the product fulfills its stated objectives, and indicate any shortcomings or
errors)
5. state how you think
the product can best be used at its intended level.
If you have used the product in class yourself, any
personal assessment will be very much appreciated.
Unfortunately, there is no financial compensation for
writing a review; however, you may keep the product you review.
FORMAT
With regard to format you may want to refer to reviews
previously published in The NECTFL Review.
However, each product is different, and I encourage you to adopt a personal
style. What is most important is that your review should be accurate and
interesting.
Please observe the following specifics:
1. Please limit
your review to 900-1000 words. If you
are evaluating a packet (including a text, a workbook, a CD-ROM, an
audiocassette, a video, etc.), your review may be extended to 1200 words or
more.
2.
Reviews must be double-spaced (not including the
bibliographic information at the beginning of your review [author, title,
publisher, etc.]).
3.
Do NOT type your
name at the top or bottom of each page. Your name should appear only at the top
of the first page (as indicated below) and, of course, at the end of the
review. Please include your title and affiliation (see below). Do NOT paginate.
4.
Provide the ISBN number. For a multi-component program it
is enough to indicate the ISBN of the main text.
5.
If possible, indicate the price unless you are reviewing a
multi-component program published by one of the major publishers (e.g., Dos Mundos, Puntos, Deux Mondes, Vis-à-Vis, Contacts, Deutsch: Na Klar).
6.
Please make every effort to observe the deadline agreed
upon for submission.
7.
Finally, italicize
all titles, including subsections of a text, and foreign loan words. Never
underline any word in the review. Do NOT include hyperlinks (remove them if
you
accidentally include them) or any other special
features, such as borders, lines or other
special formatting.
8.
Use 1-inch margins throughout.
SUBMITTING
Please submit
your review in Microsoft Word, on a diskette or through an e-mail attachment. Submit your review in Times
New Roman, 12-font. Submit your review as a WORD document; do NOT
submit as a RTF document.
Before
submitting, please be sure to PROOFREAD
carefully. If you are not a native speaker of English (or have no previous
experience writing a scholarly review), please do not hesitate to send me a
draft of your review, or to consult with an experienced colleague.
The first-page
heading should look like this:
Proof to: Your Name
Institution
City, State, Zip code
E-mail address
(sample title
of text reviewed, publisher’s information)
Amon, Evelyn, Muyskens, Judith A.,
Omaggio Hadley, Alice C. Auduc, Jean-Louis. Vis-à-Vis.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Includes: Workbook, Instructor’s Manual, Test
Bank, audio CD, video, CD-ROM. ISBN 0-07-286029-4.
(5-space indent, double space throughout)
The end of the review should look like this (single space):
Name of reviewer + highest degree earned (e.g., Joe Doe, Ph.D.)
Title (e.g., Assistant Professor of French)
Affiliation
(e.g.,
Place (e.g., North Pole, AK)
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