FAQs from Student Reviewers
Maddy Hurd, Senior Editorial Assistant and Review Co-ordinator answers your FAQs ...
What does reviewing involve? How much do I have to write?
The reviews are structured around questionnaires, which ask a range of questions on, among other things:- The course you’re on and how you study the subject under discussion
- The contents of the material and how you feel about the topics included
- The layout and text design of the material (if applicable)
- Who the material appeals to and who you think its competitors are
- How you would improve the material
How much you write therefore depends on how much you have to say on these topics! From our perspective, the more information the better; we generally expect a couple of sentences (or more, if you have more to say) as answer to each question rather than one-word responses.
The number of questions varies, but is usually about 20.
The questionnaires are usually accessed via the Internet, but if this will be a problem for you (e.g., if you don’t have regular Internet access) then just let us know and we will provide the questions in a different format.
What makes a good student reviewer?
A good reviewer is analytical, organised, articulate and focused, able to relate books to their studies while explaining their views in a way that is accessible to people with a non-medical background. They explain why they like or don’t like certain aspects of a book/proposal/manuscript and offer suggestions for improvement. They stick to deadlines and if they run into problems or can’t do a review, they get in touch with us to let us know.
How many books a year might I get to review?
It depends on a number of factors, including which school you are at and what year you’re in. It would probably be about four or five times a year at most, so it shouldn’t take too much time out of your schedule.
Can I choose which sort of books I get to review?
If you have a very strong preference for or dislike of certain subjects/types of books, you are welcome to note this in the comments section on the reviewer sign-up page. You are also welcome to provide as many topics of special interest/relevance as you feel is necessary in the relevant section. However, we cover a wide range of subjects in our books, and if we only offered reviews to students based on their listed topics, students would wait a lot longer to be offered reviews and we’d have far fewer students to draw on for any one project.
Thus, we will not only offer reviews to students based on the subjects they list as being of specific interest, although if a student requests that they absolutely do not want to review a certain type of book, we’ll make sure to follow that. If you’re offered a review and don’t feel able to comment on the subject/type of book, you’re welcome to turn the review down.
Do I have to post back the things I have reviewed?
No. The only exception to this is if you have made annotations on a hard copy manuscript which you want us to look at, but we don’t expect you to do this. If you have reviewed a published book, you can keep it and use it for your studies. If you have reviewed a proposal or manuscript, we don’t require return of the material, but please check the FAQ on confidentiality, below.
Am I allowed to show the things I’ve reviewed to other people?
If you reviewed a published book/something that is accessible to the public already, then obviously there is no need to worry about other people seeing it. However, if you reviewed a proposal or manuscript, we would like you to keep the contents confidential and destroy the material (delete files, get rid of printed copies) after you’ve finished reviewing. All review material is supplied on a confidential basis and may not be disclosed to any third party. It’s also protected by copyright and you should not copy, distribute, transmit, store, post or reproduce the review material for any purpose.
If I get a review to do and then find I haven’t got time, what should I do?
Get in touch straight away, so we can allocate the task to another reviewer. The key thing is to keep in contact.
If I am unavailable for one project, will that mean I won’t be asked to do others?
No; we do understand that you won’t always be available for every project. But we appreciate it if you can get back to us and let us know straight away. If you don’t tell us that you can’t help, we’ll probably assume that you’re no longer checking that e-mail account, and thus won’t offer further opportunities to it.
How does the discount work?
If you’re a new reviewer, on completion of your first review we will send you a discount code which will entitle you to 15% off all John Wiley and Wiley-Blackwell books when buying from www.wiley.com. This code will be valid until the following July. On completing another review, you will be entitled to receive a new code, again valid until the following July, when the one you were first given expires.
Can I use two discount codes concurrently, on the same purchase?
No. When a new discount code is provided, the old one is taken out of use and will no longer work.
I tried using my discount code on a purchase from Blackwell’s bookshops, but it didn’t work. What’s going on?
The Blackwell chain of bookshops is a separate company from Wiley-Blackwell (formerly Blackwell Publishing) which is an imprint of the company John Wiley & Sons. The discount code is only valid for books published by Wiley-Blackwell or John Wiley & Sons (see www.wiley.com for details of these) not for all books sold by Blackwell’s bookshops.
However, if you have tried to use your discount code on a purchase from Wiley-Blackwell, and you are having problems, do get in touch with us and we will try and help.
Can you give me more details about the certificate?
When you graduate, we will send you a letter on Wiley-headed paper confirming your status as a reviewer and thanking you for your involvement, which you can include in your portfolio. (We will be happy to send out such letters earlier if requested by students needing proof of their reviewer status.)
I signed up as a reviewer and haven’t had any projects to review yet – what’s going on?
How many reviews you receive depends on which school you’re at and which year you’re in. We have more reviewers for some medical schools than others, and as we try and get reviews from a range of schools, it means some people may have to wait a while. We do make an effort to give everyone at least one project to review.
If you haven’t heard anything from us for a long time (e.g., a year) you are welcome to email us at medicalstudent@wiley.com and let us know that you are still interested in reviewing. It might be that we don’t have your current email address, or that miscommunication in the past means that we think you’re no longer interested in reviewing.
I signed up, but have now moved – how do I update my contact details?
Email us at medicalstudent@wiley.com to explain that you are on the database and would like to update your details. We will always check your address with you before posting anything out, however. The most important thing is to make sure we have your current email address, as this will always be our first means of contacting you.
What if I don’t want to review any more?
Email us at medicalstudent@wiley.com and ask to be taken off the reviewer database. It’s absolutely fine if you change your mind about being a part of this – just let us know.
I’ve finished medical school – can I be a reviewer now I’m a junior doctor?
Yes, definitely! We publish material for junior doctors/postgraduates/foundation year students and welcome their feedback, so please do keep in touch with us and update your contact email if necessary.
