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Canadian Journal of Communication
Review Editor's Yearly Report
Vol. 32, Nos 1-4, 2007
Dale Bradley, Brock University
April 24, 2008
Report
Things continue apace with little novel, alarming, or thrilling to report. 2007 was a quiet year with regard to reviews because of the combined issue on health which, as you all know, contained no reviews due to the fact that its girth was appropriately akin to that of a seventeenth century anatomist's tome. In no particular order, then, are some observations, comments, and plans for the upcoming year. The website created in order to facilitate reviewer notification and requests is working well. I will be updating it in early May. Speaking of which, it's beginning to look to me like it's better to offer up a large number of books for review around the end of the winter term (when folks begin to feel less busy), send out as many as books possible, and then follow up on submissions until a number sufficient for the current volume is achieved. I'm going to do this more formally for the upcoming year. Trying to work issue to issue is too dang stressful and it seems to me that it's much more efficient to quickly build up a "stock" of completed reviews and then work on the tardy folks as required. This obviously doesn't preclude adding reviews as appropriate. It's simply a default modus operandi that should (one hopes) streamline the review process and ensure that we always have reviews "on hand".
The effort to have a longer review essay in each issue has been working out well. This doesn't show in the 2007 numbers, but it looks like we're on track to have one review essay in each of the 2008 issues. I've found that the opportunity to submit a review essay has made reviewing for the CJC somewhat more appealing to mid-career academics. That is to say, it makes a review more appealing as a CV entry (and I shall say no more).
Requesting a brief statement concerning one's appropriateness for completing a review has been very useful indeed with regard to meting out books to advanced graduate students. I have allowed a number of grad students to submit reviews and it seems to be working out quite well. They are absolutely excellent with regard to meeting deadlines without having to be reminded, begged, shamed and, finally, threatened. Of course, they find more CV utility in such things…
Finally, and as an homage to Steve Jobs' style of keynoting, there is one more thing… No, it isn't a CJC-branded iPod Touch for all of the board members. I will be CCA President and on sabbatical next year (how's that for stupid timing?). While I intend to continue on as the review editor (god, board, and colleagues willing), I may have to step down if things get overly busy. I'm pretty sure that I can avoid having to step down — especially if my plan to set a whack of reviews in motion over the next two to three months is successful — but if it does so happen that I can't manage the time commitment, I will certainly give notice well in advance and be sure to have at least one to two issue's worth of reviews ready to go. Shouldn't be a problem, just a "head's up".
Statistics
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Books Received 35+
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Books Sent out 23
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Reviews Received 18
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Review Essays 1