Manuscript Review

A centerpiece of the East Asian Studies Center’s efforts to support all forms of research that deal with East Asia at USC is the manuscript review. Any USC faculty working on a book that deals with East Asia in some way are eligible for possible support. The program is designed to provide helpful and timely feedback to faculty preparing monographs or other similarly large academic works prior to submission for publication.

The core of the program is the manuscript review seminar. Rather than simply requesting individual reviewers to provide comments on the work, the EASC staff organizes a review seminar in which two invited external reviewers, USC faculty and students, and the author can all interact and respond to each other’s comments in order to collectively devise strategies for strengthening the final text. The only stipulation for attending the review seminar is a commitment to read the entire manuscript that is under review – this will maximize thoughtful and helpful discussion. As an endeavor in collegial constructive criticism, the review seminar represents the best of academic enterprises.

Manuscripts selected for participation in the review program will be copied and distributed to USC faculty and graduate students as well as two external reviewers identified by the author in collaboration with the EASC. EASC will then arrange a review seminar in which the reviewers and any interested USC faculty and students gather to discuss the work and assist the author in developing strategies for the manuscript’s improvement and possible placement for publication. A dinner follows the seminar at a local venue.

EASC covers all costs for the program, including copying and distribution of the manuscript, travel, accommodation and honoraria for the external reviewers, and dinner following the seminar. Because the preparation time for securing external reviewers is quite long, please contact EASC at least six months prior to when the manuscript is likely to be completed.

This program is open to all USC faculty with manuscripts that are near completion, but yet not so polished and finalized that they may still benefit from the review. Questions about manuscript review should be addressed to easc@dornsife.usc.edu.