Doing a Good Deed or Confounding the Problem? Peer Review and Sociology Textbooks

Abstract

This study examines how the peer review process influences the writing and publication of sociology textbooks and the teaching of sociology. The research analyzes reviewers' comments regarding a recently published text and compares them with peer review patterns observed by other authors and editors over the past decade. The results show that peer review affects sociology texts in at least five ways: (1) degree of innovation, including the book's focus, organization, and content, (2) length, (3) reading level, (4) ancillaries and accessories, and (5) the marketing strategies that will be used by publishers to sell the book. The findings suggest that, although the peer review process generally provides authors and editors with beneficial ideas for the resulting book, it compounds other problems.

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