Given that several people have a very narrow definition of what (research or) a publication means, and that book reviews, survey articles and a lot more stuff is published apart from original articles, does a "book review" qualify as a bonafide "publication"?
Yes, if the review is published in a journal. I rank it higher than even an article or letter since you have to be asked to review books for journals, and very few people are :)
Dear Firdous Ahmad Mala,
A good review is definitely a publication. The more qualified and competent the author(s), the more valuable is expected to be such a review. However, to begin one's research career with a book review is not a wise proposition. It will require from you a disproportional time to understand the book, review the references, etc. The chances are low to get done a decent work without a serious prior experience in that particular field. My first scientific manager forced me to write a big review as a first publication - it took me a year of my life. Eventually it had been published, and I worked in that field for a couple of years. However, having gone through all of that, I wouldn't advise you to do the same. I just couldn't formally decline that request.
Len Leonid Mizrah
Will it be possible for you to share that review with me?
Thank you.
Andrew Paul McKenzie Pegman
I do agree that most journals wouldn't acknowledge unsolicited book reviews. Thank you.
Firdous Ahmad Mala
Yes, look at my profile references - it is about electrical and optical properties of diamonds.
In the United States, publication is defined as: ... The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of people for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.
Haseeb Javed
I think the context was sufficiently clear to my question.
I just wanted to know if a published book review counted as an academic and honourable contribution of the author.
Surely, book will definitely create a huge impact on your profile, , it doesn't matter if it is a technical book or a general review book, technical book needs so much time, but you can write review book in short time, iit also creates an impact on your CV also that you have an author of a book. Just look at: Mubashir Husain Rehmani profile. He has also written some books. Also, he is getting benefit from it, as he is an editor of many journals.
Haseeb Javed
Thank you for your words.
But I think the discussion has digressed from a "book review" to a "review book", and they are not the same. Did you realize that?
All texts which are published are publications. However, there are different kinds of publications: research papers, review paper, technical report, monographs, book reviews, ...
See also these general discussions on book reviews with some interesting replies:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Your_opinion_about_book_review
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_take_book_reviews_that_scientific_journals_publish_seriously_Voce_leva_a_serio_a_publicacao_de_resenhas_de_livros_nos_periodicos_cientificos
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_worth_of_a_book_review_published_in_a_journal_of_repute
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_there_a_standard_for_writing_book_reviews
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Negative_Book_Review
Always, all the publications are the part of ur research activities and book is a prime work and effort too.
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