Article review: How to Write

a Review Article
Points to be consider
What is…?
How to develop /write…
Action to be taken…?
Components/outline…?
 Definition
• A review article is expected to provide a summary
and/or a synthesis of the findings of selected research
contributions being published by other authors.
• The main purpose of a review article is to examine the
current state of the relevant publications on a given
topic and to initiate a discussion about the research
methodologies and the findings related to the said topic.
• Therefore, a review article should contain a
comprehensive list of supporting references being
thoroughly cited in the text.
 Preparing for the Review
Before You Read the Article consider:
1. What does the title lead you to expect about
the article?
2. Study any sub-headings to understand how
the author organized the content.
3. Read the abstract for a summary of the
author's arguments
 Actions to Take
1. Skim the article without taking notes:
 Read the abstract. The abstract will tell you the
major findings of the article and why they matter.
 Read first for the “big picture.”
 Note any terms or techniques you need to define.
 Jot down any questions or parts you don’t
understand
 If you are unfamiliar with any of the key concepts
in the article, look them up in a textbook.
 Cont’
2. Re-read the article more carefully:
 Pay close attention to the “Materials and Methods”
(please note that in some journals this section is at the
very end of the paper) and “Results” sections.
 Ask yourself questions about the study, such as:
 Was the study repeated?
 What was the sample size?
 Is this representative of the larger population?
 What variables were held constant?
 Was there a control?
 What factors might affect the outcome?
 Cont’
3. Read the “Materials and Methods” and
“Results” sections multiple times:
o Carefully examine the graphs, tables, and
diagrams (if there are).
o Try to interpret the data first before reading the
captions and details.
o Make sure you understand the article fully.
 Cont’
4. Before you begin the first draft of your
summary:
o Try to describe the article in your own words
first.
o Try to distill the article down to its “scientific
essence.”
o Include all the key points and be accurate.
o A reader who has not read the original article
should be able to understand your summary.
 Cont’
5. Write a draft of your summary:
o Don’t look at the article while writing, to make it easier to put the
information in your own words and avoid unintentional plagiarism.
o Refer back to the article later for details and facts.
o Ask yourself questions as you write:
 What is the purpose of the study?
 What questions were asked?
 How did the study address these questions?
 What assumptions did the author make?
 What were the major findings?
 What surprised you or struck you as interesting?
 What questions are still unanswered?
 General Critique
o In this section one should state his/her opinions
of how well the authors presented and
discussed the research results including
interpretations in the article.
o It should contain both positive and negative
comments with due justification.
 Cont’
Following issues may be addressed:
 Does it build upon the appropriate foundation (i.e. ,
upon appropriate prior research)?
 Is the approach and execution is correct?
 Confidence with respect to the article’s results, and
why?
 Does article throws upon exclusive new ideas? - What
are the article’s shortcomings and limitations?
 Are all important aspects and issues of its domain
covered?
 Examine and comment the logic given in the article
 How to Write an Article Review?

1. The Pre-Writing Process:

 First, you need to know the type of review you
are writing as it will help while reading an
article. Here are some of the main stages of
this process to help you get started.
 Summarize the article by listing all the main
points, ideas, insight observations, and general
information presented in the article.
 Identify the strong claims that the author has
made.
 Cont’
 Identify any possible contradictions and gaps in
the article and evaluate if the writer has used
sufficient arguments and findings to support the
ideas.
 Determine if there are any questions left
unanswered by the author.
 Read the article fully.
 Evaluate the title, abstract, introduction,
headings, subheadings, opening sentences, and
conclusion of the article.
 Cont’
2. Write the Title: First, write a title that
reflects the main focus of your research work.
It can be either interrogative, descriptive, or
declarative.
3. Cite the Article: Next, add the citation for the
article that you have reviewed. Consider the
style of citation specified by your instructor.
(For the time being use APA (American
Psychological Association) system )
 Cont’
4. Article Identification: After citing the article
properly, include the identification of the
reviewed article. All the information given
below must be included in the first paragraph.
• Title of the article
• Author
• Title of the journal
• Year of publication
 Cont’
5. Introduction: Before you start to write, you must
organize your thoughts. You can use an article review
template or outline of your assignment before you
start. However, if you are wondering how to start an
article review, always start with writing an
introduction. It should contain the following things:
– Thesis of your review
– Summary of the key points of the article
– Positive aspects and facts presented in the research study
– Critique of the publication including contradictions, gaps,
and unanswered questions
 Cont’
6. Summarize the Article: Write the summary of
the article and discuss the central arguments
presented by the author. Also, make a list of
relevant facts and findings and include the
author's conclusion.
7. Critique It: Here, state the author’s
contribution and present the strengths and
weaknesses that you have found in the article.
Also, make a list of research gaps and see if the
facts and theories support the arguments.
 Cont’
8. Draft a Conclusion: This section will sum up the critical
points, findings, and your critique of the article. Here,
the writer should also state the accuracy and validity of
the review by presenting suggestions for future
research work.
9. Revise and Proofread: The last step before submitting
your article review is revising and proofreading.
 It is an essential part of the writing process, so make
sure to do it right.
 For this, read the review aloud to identify any spelling,
grammar, punctuation, and structure mistakes.
 Article Review Outline

 After reading your article, organize your thoughts in

an outline.
 Write down important facts or contributions to the
field.
 Also, identify the weaknesses and strengths of your
publication and start to discuss them accordingly.
 An article review must also contain an introduction,
a body, and a conclusion.
 So divide your outline according to these sections
and subheadings in the body.
 Cont’
An outline for the article review must contain the below parts:
• Pre-Title Page: 
 State the type of the article that you are reviewing,
 the title of the publication,
 authors who contributed to it, and
 author’s affiliations (position, department, institute, city,
state, country, email ID)
• Optional Corresponding Author Details: Name, address,
phone number, email, and fax number.
• Running Head: It is the title of your paper, less than 40
characters.
 Cont’
• Summary Page
• Title Page: Full title, 250-word abstract followed
by “Keywords:” and 4-6 keywords.
• Introduction
• Body: Include headings and subheadings
• Conclusion
• Works Cited/References
• Tables and Figures (if instructed by the teacher.)
 To sum up:
Article review should have:
o Title page: incorporate title, author name,
reviewer name, instructor name, date, etc
o Abstract: include key words
o Table of content
o Introduction
o Body : Include headings and subheadings
o Conclusion
o References
 .

Thank you