Content Level Definitions

General-Academic (GEN-AC):
This category is applied to works of scholarship which assume no prior knowledge of a topic. Accessible to any college or university student, these are often studies of broad subject areas or of topics of high current interest. Some titles not strictly academic in nature, such as fiction and poetry of literary quality, and quality works of journalism or other non-fiction, also would be placed here. All General-Academic titles would be appropriate for undergraduate study.

Advanced -Academic (ADV-AC):
This level applies to all works of scholarship treating narrowly defined or difficult topics, but generally accessible to advanced students or faculty within a discipline or to those who may be reading in a specialty other than their own. Some Advanced-Academic titles also are appropriate for use by upper-level undergraduates.

Professional (PROF):
This level applies to works of extreme technical difficulty or treating such esoteric subjects as to interest only well-trained specialists in the field. Practical guidebooks written for working professionals in fields such as Education, Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, or Social Work, even when not highly technical, also would fall into this category.

Basic Studies (BASIC):
This level applies to non-fiction books primarily developed by publishers for secondary schools, but bridging the college market through usefulness in basic courses. Usually published in series in concise and uniform format, they are written in a highly accessible style, are usually well-illustrated, and normally treat topics of current or longstanding interest. They are used by novice undergraduate students enrolled in required courses designed to assist them in learning to critically synthesize information in research and writing, and by students whose first language is not English.

Popular (POP):
Books rated at this level are primarily intended for retail sale to a very broad readership beyond colleges and universities. The Popular level would include genre fiction such as mysteries and science fiction; inspirational poetry or spirituality; cookbooks; most travel guides; many biographies of athletes, movie stars, and other entertainment figures; and materials intended for casual reading or individual self-help or instruction, as opposed to academic or professional study.

Not Available (N/A):
No level available, title not profiled.