Hundreds of publishers of English-language books aimed at health care professionals send their newly-published books to Doody Enterprises every year. When a new title arrives, staff at Doody Enterprises enters bibliographic and descriptive data into Doody’s database. Doody’s database has divided the health sciences into 125 specialties in the basic sciences, clinical medicine, nursing, allied health professions and other health-related disciplines. Each book is categorized and cross-referenced in as many as six different specialties.
About two-thirds of the books are designated for review and are sent to Editorial Review Group Chairs. All reviews feature five narrative elements: the description, purpose, audience, features and assessment. In addition, all reviewers are identified by name, degree and affiliation. Besides their consistent format and the authoritativeness of the review, Doody’s book reviews have earned the reputation for being the timeliest reviews of health sciences titles available. Probably the most recognizable element of the review is the Doody’s Star Rating® that accompanies each review.