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Guidelines for SELn Article Reviewers

The Southeastern Librarian (SELn) is a refereed journal using double-blind refereeing of articles before publication. The editor assigns manuscripts to at least two reviewers who receive the manuscript with no direct information on the author or the author's affiliation. Reviewers address the content and style of the manuscript.

  1. Read and return manuscripts to the editor within three to four weeks.
  2. Make suggested revisions in ink on the manuscript.
  3. Complete a SELn article review sheet (Word or PDF). The most important part of marking a manuscript is to provide concrete, specific examples for the author. For example, rather than suggesting that a writer eliminate unnecessary words or tighten organization, provide an example. For organizational weaknesses, numbering the paragraphs to indicate which should come first, second, or last may be helpful. Providing such specifics will reduce the number of revisions needed to bring an article to publication.
  4. Supply citations, when possible, to any significant information that the author might use or cite in the piece to strengthen it and make it more relevant to readers.
Style
prefer use of active voice
shorter sentences and paragraphs and varied sentence structure are encouraged
contractions, if not overused, are fine
avoid use of jargon and acronyms, define all terms
Content
well researched (check footnotes)
factually correct (check names, dates, places)
relevance to the audience
timeliness of the topic

For more information about SELA's The Southeastern Librarian, please contact Perry Bratcher, SELn Editor, 503A Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099. Phone: (859) 572-6309. Fax: (859) 572-6181. E-mail: bratcher@nku.edu.