Vassar Manuscript Review Session Program

With the support of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, we offer a Vassar Manuscript Review Workshop opportunity. The workshop is designed to provide helpful and timely feedback to faculty preparing monographs prior to submission for publication.

The Dean’s office can support a small number of faculty members each year seeking concentrated, hands-on feedback for manuscripts in their final stages. Participants will benefit from three reviewers: either an external reviewer and two selected campus colleagues, or two external reviewers (if at least one is in close geographic reach) and one internal colleague, who will conduct close reads and convene with the author at Vassar for an intensive half-day discussion. Readers should be prepared to provide constructive written as well as face-to-face criticism to assist the author in developing final strategies for the work’s improvement.

This is a call for applications from faculty members on continuing contracts across the campus who have a manuscript that is near completion and would benefit from intensive peer review and comment. The awards will cover modest honoraria for reviewers to read the manuscript prior to arrival, plus cover the external reviewers’ travel and overnight accommodation. The grant will also cover one group lunch and dinner with the reviewers during their visit. 

Faculty should provide: 

1. a description of the project of no more than 600 words, including the state of completion of the manuscript in its current form and what the faculty member hopes to gain through the workshop;
2. timeline of project;
3. list of possible external and internal reviewers, with short rationales regarding why the applicant has selected particular reviewers;
4. proposed timing of the workshop, to take place sometime between May’s commencement and late August (exceptions to this timing will be considered).

Participants in this program will be expected to take part in an informal assessment of how well the program worked for them.

This is a rolling deadline. Please feel free to contact Susan Hiner (suhiner@vassar.edu) with any questions you may have.