Thank you for agreeing to review a prospectus or manuscript for the Rural Studies Series. The Rural Studies Series seeks well-written and well-conceptualized manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to improving the lives of people living in rural areas. We appreciate your thoughtful comments and suggestions for improving materials submitted to the Series.

Conflict of Interest

The Rural Studies Series wishes to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest in its review process. Therefore, please excuse yourself from reviewing a prospectus or manuscript if you meet any of these criteria:
  1. You are a salaried employee, whether full-time or part-time, of an author's institution.
  2. You might receive a financial benefit from publication of the manuscript.
  3. You have a personal relationship (i.e., parent, spouse, sibling, son or daughter or domestic partner) with an author.
  4. You are a professional associate with an author. A professional associate is defined as any colleague, scientific mentor, or student with whom the reviewer is currently conducting research or other significant professional activities or with whom the reviewer has conducted such activities within three years of the date of the review.
  5. You have a longstanding science- or personal-related disagreement with an author.
Instructions for Reviewers

In your review please respond to the questions listed below. Also, please provide other comments or observations that might assist the Editorial Board in determining whether to publish this manuscript as part of the Rural Studies Series.
  1. How important and interesting is the overall subject of this manuscript?
  2. Does this manuscript represent a contribution to the field of rural studies, as it is broadly understood?
  3. What is the quality of scholarship evident in this manuscript?
    • Is the research grounded in appropriate sources?
    • Are the conclusions and implications well articulated and consistent with the findings?
  4. Is the current organization of the manuscript sound and effective? Would you recommend that the work be shortened, lengthened or reorganized?
  5. To what audience does the work seem to be directed?
    • Will the work appeal to that audience?
    • Are there other audiences to whom this work would appeal?
  6. Does the manuscript have an accessible and engaging style of prose?
  7. What are the main competing books on this general subject? How does this manuscript compare with them?
  8. Would you recommend that this manuscript be published as part of the Rural Studies Series? If not, are there other more appropriate outlets that you would recommend be considered by the author(s)?
Remumeration

We recognize that your time and expertise are valuable to the publication of an excellent quality manuscript. To acknowledge your contributions to the Series as a reviewer of a manuscript, Penn State Press offers you $200 in cash, $400 in books, or some combination of these amounts. Please contact Mr. Sandy Thatcher, Director at Penn State Press, for more details.