If the name is any indication, you could guess that an article review is about going through the works of other authors and contributors in a field, reviewing it, and then writing a commentary on it. It can be appreciative or critical but it is done by both students and their teachers, to complete the task earn grades, and keep up with the changing academic world, respectively.
Writing an article review is not an easy task. There are different variables in the process that you must keep in mind. In this blog, we will explain to you what an article review is, its types, and how to write one. We will also share some solid tips on how to make the process of writing and editing faster.
Article Review 101
Article review writing is a specialized type of writing that requires a high level of depth and analysis for the writer. It is often critical in its tone, but it is constructive in purpose and focus, backed by summarization, classification, analysis, and comparison.
The most important thing about writing an article review in the scientific field is that it needs to be based on databases and large datasets. As a researcher, you need to sum it all up and present it in a fashion that others can understand the ideas well.
Here are some of the key points in understanding the nature of article reviews:
- The basis of a review can be a summary, a classification, an analysis, a critique, or a comparison.
- Writers mix these bases with theories, new ideas, research, and more that are relevant to the academic field of the article.
- An article review doesn’t need to always come up with a new angle or information from the article. Writers can even put down their personal opinions and responses to a piece.
Types of Reviews
Since there are more than one type of academic articles and pieces, it would be a mistake to bundle them all in one batch. So, before we move on to the writing part of the guide, let us explore the different types of article reviews and how they are different from one another.
Journal Article Review
This is the most common type of article review that is often written in reply to articles published in relevant journals. Usually, it explores the strengths and weaknesses of a piece by relying on extensive research and showing readers the analysis and interpretation of fine points made in it.
Research Article Review
The biggest point of difference between a journal article review and a research article review is that the former is more interested in the contents whereas the latter is more concerned about the quality and quantity of research methods, analysis, and technique in a piece of writing.
Science Article Review
Again, the name is self-explanatory as this type of review deals with scientific publications. Since many of the articles written in this field are based on legacy data, writers analyze that to make their final statement on the integrity of the publication.
How To Write An Article Review
Now, let’s get to the writing part of the article review!
Formatting Of An Article Review Through APA & MLA Format
The formatting of an article review is something that you need to decide before embarking on the writing process. You cannot pick one style of your own and need to follow the instructions from the professor. If there is any misconception, you need to contact the professor and make sure that all things are in the right place. Here are some of the things that you must be sure about:
- The formatting style of your article review (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
- The word count or overall length of the piece.
- The inclusion of personal commentary or critique in the assignment.
- The need to amplify a theme or idea in the review.
- Requirement of background information on all data.
When you are sure about these things, you can move on to the next part of the assignment – writing the article review!
Pick The Organization For Your Article Review
In the first step of writing an article review, you need to decide the organization in the beginning. It is because it will dictate your choices for the future. Instead of jumping in blindly, you need to make sure that everything is sorted out:
- Make a summary of the article
- Identify positive points
- Find the gaps in the argument and proof
- Identify unanswered questions
Read The Article Thoroughly
The next logical step in the process is to read the article thoroughly and multiple times.
- Assess the bits and pieces, such as the title, the summary, the abstract, and so on.
- Read the opening and closing paragraphs of the article to see whether they complement each other or not.
- Ultimately, read the whole article several times and take notes.
Outline & Create A Template
This is where you plan for the writing phase and make it as easy as possible. Many writers think that they can do it all as they are building up their case. This is not true as they could get stuck in the composing part because creativity has its limits. This is where outlining and making a template for your article review comes to the rescue.
Whether you believe in headings and subheadings, or you are more of a headings plus essence writer, you need to get this part right before progressing to the main thing – writing!
Writing The Article Review
Here is your step-by-step guide to writing an article review!
Start With The Title
The title is the first introduction to the readers about your paper. It needs to be relevant, short and focused on the main elements of the piece. Depending on that, it can be declarative, descriptive, and even interrogative.
Citations For The Article
The next step is citing the article that you are about to review. This comes right after the title and you need to make sure that the formatting follows the style that is greenlit by your professors. It can be the APA and MLA style or the one prescribed by the professor.
Identify The Article
Once you are done citing the article, it is time to break it down and help readers identify it. The following are the elements that you need to cover.
- Title of the article
- Name of the author
- Full title of the journal
- Year of publication for the journal
You need to put all of this information in the first paragraph!
Opening Paragraph
This is where the action starts. The organization of your article review should be logical and help the readers understand your point, instead of throwing off their focus. Keep in mind that:
- The introduction should start with the identification of the article reviewed and your thesis.
- Then you need to follow up with the main points summarized for reviewing.
- Amplify the main points covered in the publication.
- Give a critical overview of the shortcomings or elements in the writing, such as discrepancies, lack of evidence, support, and so on.
Summarization of The Article
It is important to create a summary of the main points of the article. It allows you to revisit the facts and findings and ensure that your conclusions and those of the authors are based on the data covered in the text.
Critiquing Main Points
Now is the time to review the article. You can do it in several ways, such as strengths and weaknesses, quality and quantity of evidence, and so on. It is somewhat dependent on the type of article review you are writing or in the academic field that the article belongs to.
Compose A Conclusion
We all know that the introduction is considered one of the most important sections of a piece, but the conclusion is not very far behind. Sometimes, readers do not have the time to read it through so they read only the introduction and the conclusion. Experts believe that a conclusion should have legs to stand on. Here is a good way to summarize it all:
- Highlight key points
- Use real evidence from credible sources
- Use quotes and tables
Editing & Proofreading Article Review Before Submission
Writing an article review is one thing but honing and improving it so that it can fetch good scores is another thing. Before you turn your paper in for evaluation, make sure you have gone through multiple sessions of proofreading and editing so that there are no errors in the text. These include both grammatical, spelling, and contextual nature.
During writing these papers, there is even a thing called overdoing. It is where a writer puts too much data on the paper that readers find it hard to understand and digest. So, either by putting in or taking out, make sure that your paper is in the best form!
Final Thoughts
An article review is more difficult to write than an essay. In the latter, you have certain artistic freedoms to pick easy venues to explore. However, writing an article review requires a lot of pre-writing and researching because there are many different angles to the writings of others. Since students often find it hard, we have shared a simple yet effective guide on how to tackle this problem. We hope that students will be able to do all the heavy lifting themselves after consulting this blog!