Insights: feedback and the editorial process
Insights into the editorial process for what we do at PneumaReview.com.
Thinking of submitting papers or essays for consideration of publication?
We at PneumaReview.com are a group of volunteers, and most of us are without formal theological training. Unfortunately, time does not allow us to give regular feedback. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to seek out other writers or ministry leaders to help you assess weaknesses in your articles and offer critique.
Our process is to receive final draft submissions which we edit for grammar and readability. If significant changes are needed or if we have a question regarding content, we will contact the author before publishing.
Writers are welcome to send brief synopsis of articles or papers for the editorial committee to consider. It would be our pleasure to let you know if we think your article, whether it is already written or still only a proposal, would be a good fit for PneumaReview.com.
On August 24, 2016, a new writer asked, “Customarily, does one also send a pre-publication copy of the review to the author of the book?” We do certainly want to encourage book authors and review writers to interact at PneumaReview.com. Commentary and written exchanges enrich the content for our readers and increases our visibility on the internet. Therefore, we prefer to share published reviews with the publisher or with the author of the book or article.
Want to know if your article or review has published? You may search for the title or keywords, look at your authorpage, or sign-up to receive our email newsletter (currently mailing once per week). To begin receiving the email newsletter, look for the “Subscribe” button underneath the Search box on the upper right-hand side of the page.
On September 28, 2016, a reviewer asked if they could make a last minute change to their forthcoming review. Including last minute or even post-publication changes are one of the benefits of being completely digital and no longer tied to a print schedule. Yes, please send your proposed changes. In fact, our web developers tell us that search engines love content that is being kept fresh.
To send updates: The easiest way for us to work with updates would be for you to send a copy of your original where you have highlighted changes. If you are using a versatile word processing program, use the Strikeout option to cross out what you want eliminated. Please indicate what you wish to add by changing the text to bold, changing the text color, or highlight the text background. This allows us to see at a glance what you want added.
On December 4, 2016, a reviewer asked: “I also have a question, in my researching what books I’d like to review, I noticed that some of the books had several reviews on Amazon.com. If a book is already reviewed (say 5 or more reviews) on Amazon (for example), is there a benefit to the readers of Pneuma Review for someone to review them in PR?” In general, I would say there are lot of reasons to publish reviews on PneumaReview.com. First of all, our readers appreciate knowing that a review is coming from a Renewalist (Pentecostal/charismatic) perspective or someone who is friendly to the movement. Secondly, our mission as an organization is to broaden and deepen our readers, Renewalist church leaders around the world. To read the reviews on an Amazon sales page, you have to be interested enough to go there, yet we sometimes hear the comment, “I didn’t know about this book.” A review of a book increases visibility and interest, and publishers know that every exposure increases the likelihood of a browser purchasing the book. For us, introducing readers to new books makes it more likely that they will grow and help others grow. I could also talk about the benefits of giving up-and-coming scholars and church leaders opportunities to get published, or how publishers gladly send review copies to reviewers without cost, but both of those reasons seem a bit self-serving. In summary, every quality review that we publish helps us bridge the gap, a little more, between the seminary and the local church.
Translation: It is the policy of PneumaReview.com to support translation efforts whenever feasible. The individual or organization wanting to carry out the translation will need to acquire permission from the owner of the material, as the articles published at PneumaReview.com remain the intellectual property of their respective authors. Permission to use any images or photographs will also be necessary, but we usually find authors and photographers to have open-handed generosity when it comes to sharing the story of what Jesus is doing through his people. PneumaReview.com will gladly include any links or updates to any translations that do occur.
We could not continue were it not for our Authors. Thank you for helping us publish excellent material for our global audience.
Here is an invitation to writers I published in October, 2014: “Looking for Good Writers: Have Something to Say?“
Category: Get Involved