JSOMER considers scholarly books that contribute meaningfully to social media research or another area within the journal’s aims and scope. Eligible works may include research monographs, edited volumes, handbooks, scholarly textbooks, and other academically substantive books.

Priority is normally given to books published within the previous five years. Older works may be considered when they retain or regain significance, appear in a substantially revised edition, inform an emerging debate, or warrant substantive reassessment.

• Topics may include behavior, psychology, mental health, communication, education, sociology, health, politics, journalism, misinformation, marketing, online communities, AI, algorithms, governance, computational methods, science communication, privacy, surveillance, and digital ethics.
• Books lacking scholarly content or relevance, unverifiable publications, unpublished manuscripts, promotional works, and self-published books without credible quality control are not normally considered.

Book reviews must be written in English. Books published in another language may be reviewed when they are relevant to JSOMER’s international readership and the reviewer has sufficient proficiency in the book’s language.

The bibliographic heading should identify the original language and the review should explain the work’s significance for readers who may not have access to that language. When an official English translation exists, the review should identify the edition evaluated.

Books may be proposed by editors, Board members, scholars, publishers, authors, or book editors. A proposal, request, complimentary copy, or publisher communication does not guarantee selection, commissioning, review, or publication.

Selection considers scope, scholarly importance, originality, timeliness, readership interest, reviewer independence, subject and regional balance, space, and editorial priorities. JSOMER does not accept payment for selecting, evaluating, or publishing a book review.

Prospective reviewers are encouraged to contact the Editorial Office before preparing a complete review. Proposals should provide complete bibliographic details, relevance to JSOMER, reviewer identity and affiliation, ORCID iD, expertise, qualifications, conflicts or relationships, and confirmation that the reviewer has not reviewed the same edition elsewhere.

Proposal approval does not guarantee publication. Completed reviews remain subject to editorial assessment and revision. Unsolicited reviews may be submitted through the official system, although prior contact is encouraged.

Authors and publishers may offer print or electronic review copies. Receipt does not guarantee selection, commissioning, favorable treatment, or publication and does not entitle the sender to select the reviewer, approve the text, or influence the conclusion.

Complimentary copies supplied directly to reviewers must be disclosed. An ordinary review copy is not normally treated as payment but must not influence the review. JSOMER does not guarantee return of unsolicited print copies.

Reviewers should have relevant scholarly expertise and be able to provide an independent, fair, and evidence-based evaluation. A reviewer should not have authored, edited, translated, endorsed, prepared, published, or previously reviewed the same edition.

Reviewers should also recuse when close personal, collaborative, supervisory, mentoring, departmental, financial, promotional, competitive, or dispute-related relationships could compromise or reasonably appear to compromise independence. Scholarly disagreement alone is not automatically a conflict, but relevant circumstances must be disclosed.

A book review should combine accurate description with substantive critical evaluation. Summary must not dominate the review.

Reviews must be accurate, balanced, analytical, constructive, respectful, evidence-based, clearly written, and professionally presented. Strong criticism is permitted when directed at arguments, evidence, method, organization, or scholarly contribution and supported by examples.

Personal attacks, humiliation, discrimination, speculation about motives, unsupported or defamatory allegations, promotional language, excessive unanalytical praise, and criticism unrelated to scholarly quality are prohibited.

A standard review should normally contain 1,000 to 2,000 words, excluding the bibliographic heading and references. A different length may be approved for complex, interdisciplinary, multi-book, revised-edition, or debate-oriented submissions.

A review essay addressing multiple books or making an extended intervention should be proposed before submission and may follow different requirements. The title should be informative and analytical rather than merely repeating the book title; it must not be sensational, promotional, insulting, or misleading.

Short quotations may be used sparingly to support specific analytical points, normally with page references such as (p. 45) or (pp. 45–47). Substantial reproduction of copyrighted text is not permitted.

External scholarship should be limited to sources needed for context or support and should follow current APA requirements. Reviewers are responsible for verifying quotations, page numbers, names, publication details, ISBNs, citations, and references.

A submitted review must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. It must not reproduce another review, substantially duplicate the reviewer’s earlier work, translate another review without disclosure and authorization, or contain unattributed material.

Material overlap with earlier blogs, teaching notes, informal commentary, or online discussion must be disclosed. Reviews remain subject to JSOMER’s plagiarism and research-integrity requirements.

AI use is governed by JSOMER’s Artificial Intelligence Policy. AI must not replace reading the complete book, generate an evaluation of an unread work, fabricate quotations or bibliographic details, be listed as an author, replace independent scholarly judgment, or compromise copyright and integrity.

Any reportable use must be disclosed accurately. The reviewer remains fully responsible for originality, accuracy, quotations, citations, arguments, and conclusions.

Every review must include a conflict-of-interest statement. Reviewers must disclose complimentary copies, payment, honoraria, reimbursement, relationships, collaboration, involvement in the book, financial interests, and other circumstances that could affect or appear to affect impartiality. Disclosure does not automatically prevent publication; the editor determines whether the interest is manageable.

JSOMER does not pay reviewers and does not charge submission, processing, publication, or mandatory fees. Paid promotional content is ineligible.

Reviews should be submitted through the official online system unless different instructions are provided. The submission should include the manuscript, complete book information, reviewer name, affiliation, country, email, ORCID iD where available, conflicts statement, funding statement, relevant AI disclosure, and acknowledgment of a complimentary copy.

Book reviews do not normally require a structured abstract. A brief unstructured abstract and keywords may be requested for indexing or metadata consistency. Formatting and references should follow applicable JSOMER requirements.

Every book review receives editorial assessment for scope, bibliographic accuracy, reviewer expertise and independence, originality, analytical depth, fairness, criticism, clarity, conflicts, policy compliance, and value to readers.

The editor may accept, request revision, seek external assessment, decline, or propose another format. External review is not automatic but may be used for substantial theoretical claims, specialist or sensitive subjects, conflicts requiring safeguards, extended review essays, or other cases requiring independent assessment. Editorially assessed content must not be misrepresented as externally peer reviewed.

The book’s author, editor, publisher, or sponsor must not select the final reviewer, approve the review, require a favorable conclusion, influence assessment or timing, remove legitimate criticism, determine title or content, or prevent publication solely because the review is unfavorable.

Reviews authored by editors or Board members receive no preferential treatment and must be handled by an independent editor. The author must not participate in assessment, reviewer selection, revision decisions, scheduling, or the final decision. An editorial independence statement may be included where appropriate.

Reviewers must notify JSOMER promptly of material errors after publication, including inaccurate bibliographic details, quotations, pages, conflicts, plagiarism, factual errors, unsupported allegations, misrepresentation, fabricated citations, or inappropriate AI use.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, retractions, and related actions follow JSOMER’s post-publication policy. Scholarly disagreement with a reviewer’s judgment does not by itself justify correction or retraction.

Authors retain copyright in their reviews. Reviews use the same open-access and licensing framework as other JSOMER content unless stated otherwise. The license applies to the review, not to the book, cover, illustrations, or third-party material.

Published reviews receive a DOI and an individual open article page. Metadata may be supplied to Crossref and relevant discovery, repository, indexing, and preservation services, but inclusion by every external service is not guaranteed. The article type must be labeled Book Review and must not be categorized as Original Research Article or Review Article.

Before submission, the reviewer should confirm the following:

• The book is relevant to JSOMER and the bibliographic information is accurate.
• The review explains the purpose and central argument without allowing summary to dominate.
• The book is situated within relevant scholarship.
• Strengths, limitations, originality, and significance are evaluated fairly with examples.
• The language is respectful, analytical, and professional.
• Quotations and page references have been verified.
• Conflicts, compensation, and complimentary copies have been disclosed.
• The review is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Any AI use complies with journal policy.
• External references follow the applicable citation style.
• The conclusion identifies significance and intended readership.