The Seoul Journal of Korean Studies aims to reflect the best current research on Korea. To this end, besides scholarly articles, it also carries book notes, the intention of which is to introduce some of the best new Korean academic publications in the humanities and social sciences to an English-speaking audience. Book notes on works in European languages that have been sent to the editors for review will also be considered, but the primary goal of the book notes section is to introduce research monographs written in the Korean language. Below are some guidelines for prospective book notes writers.
Language: the book notes must be written in English. Please avoid the use of jargon as much as possible. Also, it is better to use short, concrete sentences.
Title: please include full information about the title, author, publishers, and number of pages. For example:
Son Byonggyu. Joseon wangjo jaejeong siseutem ui jaebalgyeon – 17~19 segi jibang jaejeongsa yeongu [The rediscovery of the Joseon Dynasty financial system – The history of regional finance from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century]. Seoul: Yeoksa bipyeongsa, 2008. 475 pp.
Also note any special features: e.g., series title, number of volumes (if more than one), inserts (e.g., map, CD,..)
Author information: Please include information about the book note author at the end of your note: 1. name, 2. affiliation, 3. position. Please also include the English spelling of your name and institution. Since all Korean institutions have an established name in English, please make sure to use the official version. E.g., 이성미, 한국학중앙연구원, 선임연구원 =>Sung-mi Lee, Academy of Korean Studies, Senior Researcher.
Length: Ideally 600 words (counted using the MS word count function). Slightly more is acceptable if the book warrants it, but 1000 words is the upper limit.
Contents: Discuss the book’s main subject area and contribution to the field, and evaluate it briefly.
