How To Write An Article Review: Tips And Examples

You have been tasked with writing an article review. It’s a simple task – you need to wipe the dust off humongous books, scour through articles on the web, and sit down on a chair with a coffee in hand, all prepared to analyze and evaluate the work of experts in a field. And your article review will be done just like that!

We are afraid writing an article review is not as simple as you imagine it to be.

For you to deliver an exceptional article review, it is significant to offer your assessment and summary of the works of other stalwarts in a field. It needs to provide readers with a logical assessment of the central theme of the article, supporting arguments, and remarkable implications for further research. You also need to comprehend the key points and arguments of the articles being reviewed to maintain accuracy during summation.

Seems challenging now, isn't it? Well, no need to worry. Now that you have landed on about the perfect guide to writing an article review, let’s make the process 10X easier. We have significant guidelines fraught with lucid article review examples that will enable you to nail your next review like a champion.

Ready? Fasten your seatbelts. Let’s take off!

What is a Review Article? A Quick Overview

Before learning how to craft the perfect article review outline, it is crucial to get the hang of what is a review article. Here’s a molecular look at a review article’s definition -

• An article review implies a summary and evaluation of the work of another professional or stalwart in a given field.  
• It is a critical and constructive evaluation of literature in a specific field made through summary, analysis, classification, and comparison.
• It is often referred to as a literature review that incorporates a detailed outline of the current research on the subject. It can also be considered a critical review that greatly emphasizes a certain article within a smaller scope.
• However, contrary to the original research article, it will not present any new experimental results.
• This type of task should be considered a professional piece of writing as the process demands review, summary and comprehension of the topic.

Anyhow, the key objective of an article review is to summarize everything and present a lucid understanding of the topic you’ve been working on. Let’s now go to the next section to find out what an article review comprises!

Writing an Article Review - What Does It Involve?

Here’s what the remarkable process of crafting an article review includes -

• Summarization, evaluation, classification, critiques, and comparison
• The evaluation, analysis, and comparison demand the usage of crucial theories, research, and ideas pertinent to the subject area of the article.
• It is also crucial to remember that an article review doesn't introduce any new kind of information but presents a response to another writer's work.

Article Review: What are the Types?

Article reviews are typically of three types. These are –

Now, let’s focus on each of these one at a time -

• Journal Article Review

Akin to all other reviews, a journal article review assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a published work. A close look at the journal article review example will reveal that in this type of review, you need to offer the readers an interpretation and analysis that demonstrate the article's value.

Check out this journal article review example to form a lucid idea-

• Research Article Review

This kind of article review differs from the journal review in a way that it assesses the research method used and holds the information in retrospect to critique and evaluation.

Check out this research article review example to comprehend it better-

• Science Article Review

This kind of review includes anything existing in the realm of science. Usually, published scientific works incorporate more information on the background that you can use to evaluate the published works more remarkably.

Have a look at the below science article review example-

These subtle differences between different types of article reviews shape the way you approach your writing. Thus, before you begin writing the paper, take note of the instructions diligently to figure out the best ways to go about writing an article review.

Article Review: Why Write One?

Do you know a review article offers a critical assessment of the data available from existing studies? Not only that, but it can also help in determining potential research areas to explore next and arrive at new conclusions from the existing data.

Stunned to see the significance of writing an article review? Well then, take a look at other crucial reasons for crafting an exceptional article review-

• It helps in clarifying questions.
• It enables you to comprehend the thoughts and perspectives of other people on recent issues.
• It helps you rectify the sentence structure and language that doesn’t make sense.
• It determines gaps in existing studies for potential future research
• It helps in highlighting the main methodologies and research techniques
• It broadens the scope of an author and helps him/her to get out of personal biases.
• It helps an individual to improve his/her grammar skills while facilitating effective conscience writing.
• Lastly, it motivates the writer to perform remarkably the next time as the review offers suggestions or criticism of the article.

Review Article vs Research Article: What's the Difference?

How many times have you wondered about the difference between a research article and a review article? Our safe bet is a couple of times, at least. No need to look further. Take a look at the review article vs research article difference we have listed in the table below-

RESEARCH ARTICLE	REVIEW ARTICLE
A research article is a primary source.	A review article is a secondary source.
It reports the results and methodologies of a genuine study performed by the authors.	A review article is crafted to discuss aspects of other articles. It doesn’t report genuine research of its own.
The length of a research article depends on the word limit provided by the journal.	The length of a review article tends to be shorter. But, one still needs to adhere to the word limit.
This type of study may vary hugely. However, in all cases, the authors have assimilated and evaluated the raw data. The conclusions are also drawn from the result of the analysis.	On the other hand, review articles draw upon the articles they review to recommend new directions, give adequate support to existing theories and identify a pattern among existing research studies.
Example- Effectiveness of Health Coaching In Diabetes Control and Lifestyle Improvement by Ching-Ling Lin, Li-Chi Huang, Ruey-Yu Chen, Yao-Tsung Chang and Shwu-Huey Yang	Example- The Effect of Dietary Glycaemic Index on Glycaemia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes by Osarhumwese Osaretin Ojo, Fahemisin Adebowale, Omorogieva Ojo, and Xiao-Hua Wang

Clear till now? We are sure you’ve developed a profound understanding of article reviews. Let’s proceed to understand how to design the format of an article review.   

The 101 of Formatting an Article Review

If you go through peer-reviewed articles examples, you will understand that there exists a no-fits-all article format that you can follow while crafting your review. As a matter of fact, the formatting depends on the referencing style specified by your professors. Hence, make sure to clarify the preferred citation style before you go-knee deep in writing your article review.

When you have figured out the answers to these questions, you can start crafting the services for article review help. Here, we have given examples of both MLA and APA formats, as those are the two most common referencing styles specified by educators.

Writing an Article Review in APA Format

As per APA format article review examples, articles generally appear in academic journals, newspapers and websites. When crafting an article review in an APA format, it is essential to write accurate bibliographical entries for the sources you use-

• Web – [Last name of the author], [First and Middle Initial]. (Year, Month, Date of Publication). Title. {Retrieved From}.
• Journal – [Last name of the author], [First and Middle Initial]. (Publication Year). Publication Title. Title of the Periodical, Volume (Issue), pp-pp.
• Newspaper – [Last name of the author], [First and Middle Initial]. (Year, Month, Date of Publication). Title of the Published Work. Title of the Magazine, pp. xx-xx.

Writing an Article Review in MLA Format

• Web – Last, First Middle Initial of an Author. “Title of Published Work”. Title of the Website. Website Publisher, Date Month Year of the Published. Web, Date Month Year Accessed.
• Journal – Last, First M. “Title of the Published Works”. Journal Title Series Volume. Issue (Published Year): Page (s). Name of the database. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.
• Newspaper – Last, First M. “Title of the Published Works”. Title of the Newspaper [City] Date, Month, Year Published: Page(s). Print.

Writing an Exceptional Article Review: A Step-By-Step Guide

Writing an article review may seem incredibly daunting, especially if you have never handled these kinds of tasks before. Not to worry.

Relax, take a deep breath, drink a hot cup of coffee, and begin with a few preparatory steps to kickstart your writing process. Here are the two crucial stages that will help you get started-

• The Pre-Writing Phase

• Consider the Organization of the Article Review

It is wise to comprehend how your article review will be set up before you even start going through the article you aim to review. Doing this will help you comprehend how to read the article and write a remarkable review. Here are certain crucial steps you must follow to do this successfully –

• Make a Summary of the Article- Look for the key points, vital claims, important ideas, and general information presented in the article.
• Determine the Positive Aspects – Try to figure out the strong ideas, crucial aspects and insightful observations the author has made.

• Look for the Gaps- Figure out whether there are any gaps, inconsistencies or contradictions in the text. Assess whether or not the author has used a sufficient amount of information and arguments to support his/her ideas. Also, determine if any questions are left unanswered in the work you are reviewing.

Preview the Article

Next, go on to review the article. Here are certain simple yet effective steps that will enable you to do it the correct way-

• Start by closely examining the title, introduction, abstract, headings, opening sentences of every paragraph and the conclusion of an article you aim to review.
• Go through only the starting and ending of the piece. As these are the sections where the author tends to incorporate all of his/her key points and arguments. Reading these crucial parts will help you develop a lucid understanding of the key points of the author.
• Then, ensure to read the article once or twice fully.

Craft an Outline of Your Assessment

In this stage, you must review each aspect of the article summary to determine whether the author was clear and right. Have a look at the steps to do this process effectively-

• Jot down all cases of effective writing, any new contributions made in the field, along with areas that require improvement.
• Make sure to create an extensive list of strengths and weaknesses in the article.
• Use specific references and examples. For instance- the article you are reviewing may have reported the data of renowned research incorrectly. Note down this observation in the outline and assimilate facts of the research to confirm this observation.

These three stages mainly make the most of the prewriting process. Once you have completed them, you are all ready to move on to crafting your own review. We are not leaving your hands and are going to guide you through the writing phase as well.

The Writing Phase

Craft a Detailed Outline

After you are done reviewing the articles and defining gaps, main ideas, and other essentials, make sure to map out your article review by drafting a detailed outline.

Here’s how the outline template for an article review will look like-

Come Up with the Title

After crafting an outline, it is essential to write a title for your article review that will reflect the main focus of the work. This title can either be declarative, interrogative, or descriptive.

For instance, you can develop something simple like- “Feeling - The Definition”.

Cite the Article Being Reviewed

After this, you need to add the citation for the article that you have finished reviewing. Ensure to follow the citation style specified by your educator.

Like, your citation would look something like this if you were using the MLA style –

Last and first name of the author. “The title of the work”. Title and issue of the Journal (date of publication): page (s). Print.

Richardson Mark. “The Dream World”. Paula Stuart 50.3 (1990): 120-74. Print.

Identify the Article

When you consult peer-reviewed articles example, you will see it is always wise to begin the review by incorporating the identification of the reviewed article. Ensure to include the below-enlisted aspects in the first paragraph of your paper -

• Title of the article reviewed
• Name of the author
• Journal title
• Publication Year

Example - “The report on the research, “Increase in population leads to poverty that result in drop-outs from school”, was crafted by James Anderson- a Health officer- in 1990.”

Start Working on the Introduction

Begin writing your introduction with the identification sentence. This segment must also entail the central themes of the article you’re reviewing.

Here are certain crucial aspects to note when crafting an introduction-

• It must incorporate the claims and arguments of the author.
• It should state the thesis of the author.
• You may often need to figure out the thesis yourself as it may not be clear.
• You must not write statements in the first person ‘I’.
• Rather, try to use the third person 'he' or 'she'.
• The introduction must be only about 10-25% of your entire review.
• It must always end with a thesis that addresses the above-mentioned issues.

For the above example, the thesis statement could be something like this -

"Although the writer presents certain remarkable arguments, her article is incredibly biased and comprises certain misinterpretations of data from the evaluation of other authors on the reasons for school drop-outs."

Write a Summary of the Article

A look at remarkable article review examples will show that here you need to present the key points, significant findings and arguments in your own words. Also, demonstrate how the article backs up its claims and incorporates its conclusions.

Here are certain crucial pointers to keep in mind when writing the summary-

• Incorporate statistics, examples or background information known to the stalwarts of the field you are concentrating on.
• Ensure to present the key points of every section.
• Always use direct quotes from the author sparingly.
• Additionally, you also need to reread your summary countless times and rectify every error to maintain accuracy.

Like, if you were writing an article review on the title “Feeling - The Definition” mentioned above, your summary should be something like this-

"Gilbert Ryle, the British philosopher who made efforts to define the straightforward concept of 'feelings', incorporated certain idiomatic phrases in his 1950 essay. He included conjugations to help the readers remember how excessively easy it is to forget the symbolic use of common words. When one feels ‘something is the case’, it expresses a tendency which is not strong enough to be considered an actual idea or belief. Again, when one 'feels like taking action', it expresses the urge to take appropriate or inappropriate action."

Craft the Critique

In this segment of the template for article review, you need to write how remarkably the author addressed the topic using your opinions. Here's how to do it effectively-

• Present your views on how useful and detailed the explanation of the subject you found in the article.
• Show the significance and contributions of the article to the field.
• Present arguments and central points. Also, ensure to state if the points of the author assisted in the argument.
• Remember to point out if there are any biases.
• Mention whether you agree with the author. If yes, offer reasons why you support the author. If no, offer causes for the decision.
• End by stating the kind of audiences who would hugely benefit from going through the article.

Example - “These hypothetical or figurative usages of feelings are missed easily. Hence, the thoughtful inclusion of Gilbert Ryle brings forth hugely beneficial philosophical insights for other eminent researchers. However, his omission of a general notion of feeling doesn't seem agreeable, as he never says anything about feeling emotions like sad, furious, cheerful,  and the likes."

Wrap up with a Conclusion

While writing the conclusion, make sure to summarize the key points. Present your opinions on the accuracy, clarity, and importance of the article. You can also say about the implications if relevant, as it can benefit further research. Further, it is crucial to note that the conclusion must only be 10% of your overall review.

For example- “Nevertheless, the work of Ryle still offered the impetus for an ongoing discussion about the very nature of feelings and emotion.”

• The Post-Writing Phase

• Proofread and Edit Diligently

When all sections of your article review are written and ready, it is crucial to take care of one last thing - proofreading. Doing this will allow you to prune your review to perfection and make sure there are no inconsistencies or errors.

Commence the proofreading process by going through the entire review and evaluating the below-listed aspects-

• Punctuation
• Grammar
• Syntax
• Contextual
• Mechanics
• Factual

Ensure to eliminate any extra or unnecessary information. Furthermore, ensure you’ve identified and discussed at least 3-4 key issues in the article.

Now, let’s check out certain remarkable article review examples to connect the relevant theory to the practice-

6 Golden Tips to Write a Winning Article Review

Remember, writing an article review is no rocket science.

To help our readers craft the best article review possible, we have provided certain remarkable tips and techniques that would definitely answer your question, "how to write an article review perfectly?” Not only that, but it would help you take your article review to the next level.

Have a look-

• Define the Question

It is crucial to invest adequate time in determining the research question and articulating the topic of the review carefully. Know an exceptional review must also add somewhat new to the field in aspects of hypothesis, conclusion or inference. Hence, a defined question will provide you with more clarity in identifying the novelty of your inferences.

• Determine Credible Resources

It is always wise to determine relevant as well as genuine studies you can base your review on. You can also choose to conduct another search once you are done writing the review to refrain from missing relevant studies published in the course of your writing.

• Be Critical and Unbiased

Try to always assess each piece of evidence critically but unbiasedly. This will enable you to present a proper evaluation and critical discussion in the review.

• Read Your Journal’s Guidelines

Certain journals only publish research articles, while others publish only reviews. However, all indicate their scope and aims clearly. Hence, ensure to assess the appropriateness of the journal before turning in the review.

• Write in the Correct Style  

Always make sure to write in a style compatible with the work being critiqued. This will also make the paper relatively easy to construct.

• Describing isn’t Enough

Simply describing the work is not going to be enough. Remember to thoroughly analyze and critique it. The critique should always be written in-depth and must offer the audience detailed interpretations of the work in a professional way.

Take One Step At A Time!

Once you get the hang of the method, article reviews really aren’t as daunting as they seem. Surely, there’s a lot to do, but don’t be daunted by the process. Just go through the above post, deal with it step by step, and give yourself considerable time. Remember to take frequent breaks, stay organized and do not forget to cite the article. You have got this.

FAQs by Students:

Q.1. What is the purpose of an article review?

The key purpose of crafting an article review is to create an informative synthesis of top resources available in the literature for the current area of study or a crucial research question. It is also used to critically evaluate data available from existing studies. Further, these articles can determine potential research areas to explore and often draw new conclusions from the existing data.

Q.2. How long should an article review be?

Article reviews vary in length. Generally, they are between 3000 and 3500 words. Further, the maximum number of words allowed ranges between 3000-9000 words.

Q.3. What makes a good review article?

A good review article must be closely related to originality. It should challenge previous ideas and contribute to comprehending certain areas, topics or ideas. Again, this implies that review articles require going beyond mere description and 'state-of-the-literature' summaries and developing new ways of thinking.

Q.4. Can I study more than one article while writing a review?

Yes, of course. However, you need to first make sure it is connected to your study.

Q.5. Can tables and figures be added to the article review?

Usually, it is not necessary to add tables and figures in your article review unless specified by your professors. But you can mention tables and figures through inferences to the original work.

Q.6. What are the topic examples for the article review?

Have a look at certain topic examples for turning in a perfect article review-

• Differences in communication between males  and females
• Usage of drugs in professional sports
• Negative impacts of obesity on health
• Illegal immigration in the US
• Significance of sports for children
• Write about gun violence in the US

Q.7. What are examples of article reviews?

Certain examples of article reviews are-

• Role of Sensitive Men by Gerald Thompson
• The Impact of Technology on Politics
• Customer Satisfaction Still at the Levels of 1970
• Eight reasons why doctors fear the elderly, chronic illness, and death

Q.8. What are the types of article reviews?

There are three types of article reviews-

• Journal article review
• Science article review
• Research article review

Q.9. How can I write the perfect review article?

Implement the below-enlisted tips to write a winning review article-

• Draft the title, abstract and introduction
• Assess the guidelines of the journal
• Collect twice more research than required
• Writing a summary and evaluation is a must
• Explain every statement made about the work clearly
• Write in a formal style

Q.10. How can I properly write a journal article review?

Here are certain steps you must follow to nail your journal article review like a pro-

• Check the aim and scope of the journal
• Define your scope
• Look for resources to assess
• Write the title and abstract clearly
• Include keywords
• Introduce the topic
• Include critical discussion
• Wrap it up