3/11/2019 How to Write an Article Review (with Sample Reviews) - wikiHow

How to Write an Article Review

Co-authored by Alexander Peterman

An article review is both a summary and an evaluation of another writer's article.

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Teachers often assign article reviews to introduce students to the work of experts in the
field. Experts also are often asked to review the work of other professionals. Preparing to Write Your Review
Writing the Article Review
Understanding the main points and arguments of the article is essential for an accurate
Sample Article Reviews
summation. Logical evaluation of the article's main theme, supporting arguments, and
Article Summary
implications for further research is an important element of a review. Here are a few
Related Articles
guidelines for writing an article review. References

Part
Preparing to Write Your Review
1

1 Understand what an article review is. An article review is written for an audience who is knowledgeable
in the subject matter instead of a general audience.[1] When writing an article review, you will summarize
the main ideas, arguments, positions, and findings, and then critique the article's contributions to the field and
overall effectiveness.
Article reviews present more than just an opinion. You will engage with the text to create a response to
the scholarly writer's ideas. You will respond to and use ideas, theories, and research from your own
studies. Your critique of the article will be based on proof and your own thoughtful reasoning.
An article review only responds to the author's research. It typically does not provide any new research.
However, if you are correcting misleading or otherwise incorrect points, some new data may be
presented.[2]
An article review both summarizes and evaluates the article.

2 Think about the organization of the review article. Before you even begin reading the article you will
review, you need to understand how your article review will be set up. This will help you understand how to
read the article so that you can write an effective review. Your review will be set up in the following parts:
Summarize the article. Focus on the important points, claims, and information.
Discuss the positive aspects of the article. Think about what the author does well, good points she
makes, and insightful observations.
Identify contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the text.[3] Determine if there is enough data or
research included to support the author's claims. Find any unanswered questions left in the article.

3 Preview the article. Begin by looking at the title, abstract, introduction, headings, opening sentences of
each paragraph, and the conclusion. Then read the first few paragraphs, followed by the conclusion.[4]
These steps should help you start to identify the author's arguments and main points. Then read the article in its
entirety. When you read the first time, just read for the big picture – that is, look for the overall argument and
point the article is making.
Make note of words or issues you don't understand and questions you have.
Look up terms or concepts you are unfamiliar with so you can fully understand the article. Read about
concepts in-depth to make sure you understand their full context.

4 Read the article closely. Read the article a second and third time. Use a highlighter or pen to make notes
or highlight important sections. Highlight the main points and the supporting facts.[5]
Don't: highlight every paragraph — just the central points.
Do: supplement the most important points with notes or cross-references.
Connect what you read in the article to your existing knowledge of the topic. Think about things you
have discussed in class or other articles you have read. Does the article agree or disagree with your
previous knowledge? Does it build on other knowledge from the field? Determine how the article you are
reviewing is similar and different from other texts you've read on the subject.

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Pay careful attention to the meaning of the article. Make sure you fully understand the article. The only
way to write a good article review is to understand the article.

5 Put the article into your own words. You can do this as a freewritten paragraph or as an outline. Start by
putting the article in your own words. Focus on the argument, research, and claims the article makes.
Make sure to include all the important points. It is pivotal that you are accurate.
Don't: spend time on editing or phrasing. This is just for your own benefit.
Do: write in a clear, logical structure to test your understanding.
With either method, make an outline of the main points made in the article and the supporting research
or arguments. It is strictly a restatement of the main points of the article and does not include your
opinions.
After putting the article in your own words, decide which parts of the article you want to discuss in your
review. You can focus on the theoretical approach, the content, the presentation or interpretation of
evidence, or the style. You will always discuss the main issues of the article, but you can sometimes
also focus on certain aspects. This comes in handy if you want to focus the review towards the content
of a course.[6]
Review the summary outline to eliminate unnecessary items. Erase or cross out the less important
arguments or supplemental information. Your revised summary can serve as the basis for the summary
you provide at the beginning of your review.

6 Write an outline of your evaluation. Review each item in the article summary to determine whether the
author was accurate and clear. Write down all instances of effective writing, new contributions to the field,
as well as areas of the article that need improvement. Create a list of strengths and weaknesses. The strength
of the article may be that it presents a clear summation of a particular issue. Its weakness may be that it does
not offer any new information or solutions. Use specific examples and references. For example, the article might
have incorrectly reported the facts of a popular study. Jot down this observation in your outline and look up the
facts of the study to confirm your observation. Think about the following questions to help you critique and
engage with the article:
What does the article set out to do?
What is the theoretical framework or assumptions?
Are the central concepts clearly defined?
How adequate is the evidence?
How does the article fit into the literature and field?
Does it advance the knowledge of the subject?
How clear is the author's writing?[7]
Don't: include superficial opinions or your personal reaction.
Do: pay attention to your own biases, so you can overcome them.

Part
Writing the Article Review
2

1 Come up with a title. This title should reflect the focus of your review. Decide between a declarative title,
descriptive title, or interrogative title.[8]

2 Cite the article. Under the title, place a complete citation of the article in the proper style.[9] Go to the next
line to begin your essay. Don't skip a line between the citation and first sentence.
For example, in MLA, a citation may look like: Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images:
Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127-53.
Print.

3 Identify the article. Start your review by referring to the title and author of the article, the title of the
journal, and the year of publication in the first paragraph.
For example: The article, "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS," was written by Anthony
Zimmerman, a Catholic priest.

4 Write the introduction. The introduction of the article review will have the identification sentence. It will
also mention the central themes of the article and the arguments and claims of the author. You also need
to state the author's thesis. Sometimes, the thesis has multiple points. The thesis may not be clearly stated in
the article, so you may have to determine the thesis yourself.[10]

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Don't: make statements in the first person ("I").

Do: give an overall impression of the article using the third person and a formal, academic style.
Your introduction should only be 10-25% of your review.[11]
End the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should address the above issues. For example:
Although the author has some good points, his article is biased and contains some misinterpretation of
data from others’ analysis of the effectiveness of the condom.[12]

5 Summarize the article. Express the main points, arguments, and findings of the article in your own words,
referring to your summary for assistance. Show how the article supports its claims. Make sure to include
the article's conclusions. This may be done in several paragraphs, although the length will depend on
requirements established by your instructor or publisher.
Don't: cover specific examples, statistics, or background information familiar to experts in the field.
Do: capture the main points of each section, as space allows.
Use direct quotes from the author sparingly.
Review the summary you have written. Read over your summary several times to ensure that your
words are an accurate description of the author's article.

6 Write your critique. Use your outline of opinions to write several paragraphs explaining how well the
author addressed the topic. Express your opinion about whether the article was a clear, thorough, and
useful explanation of the subject. This is the core of your article review. Evaluate the article's contribution to the
field and the importance to the field.[13] Evaluate the main points and arguments in the article. Decide if the
author's points help her argument. Identify any biases. Decide if you agree with the writer, then provide sufficient
support as to why or why not. End by suggesting which audiences would benefit from reading the article.
Don't: fill your review with a long list of unrelated critiques.
Do: tie your grievances and praise together into a coherent argument, forming your own thesis.
Support your critique with evidence from the article or other texts.
The summary portion is very important for your critique. You must make the author's argument clear in
the summary section for your evaluation to make sense.[14]
Remember, this is not where you say if you liked the article or not. You are assessing the significance
and relevance of the article.[15]
Use a topic sentence and supportive arguments for each opinion. For example, you might address a
particular strength in the first sentence of the opinion section, followed by several sentences elaborating
on the significance of the point.

7 Conclude the article review. In a paragraph, summarize the main points of the article, as well as your
opinions about its significance, accuracy, and clarity. If relevant, also comment on implications for further
research or discussion in the field.
This should only be about 10% of your overall essay.
For example: This critical review has evaluated the article "Condom use will increase the spread of
AIDS" by Anthony Zimmerman. The arguments in the article show the presence of bias, prejudice,
argumentative writing without supporting details, and misinformation. These points weaken the author’s
arguments and reduce his credibility.[16]

8 Proofread. Reread the review. Look for grammar, mechanics, and usage mistakes. Make sure to cut any
extra, unneeded information.
Make sure you have identified and discussed the 3-4 key issues in the article.[17]

Community Q&A

Question

How do I present figures and tables in a review?

Alexander Peterman
MA, Education
Expert Answer

Typically, you won't want to include tables or figures in your review, because this would usually indicate added
information from your perspective. However, you can reference tables and figures in the original work, such as by
saying, "In Figure 2.1, [author] demonstrates..."

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Question

How do I create my article title?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

The article title should be a succinct, ideally clever description of the general content. In this case, if you were writing
a movie review for, say, a bad movie about a ship, you could say something like, "New Release Sinks at the Box
Office."

Question

How many articles am I required to study before writing a review article?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

It would depend on the subject of the review article. If the article you're writing requires a lot of knowledge about
outside articles, then you will need to read as many as possible, though there is no required minimum.

Question

Can you review more than one article in one study?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

Yes. However, it's important that the articles you are going to use are connected to your study.

Question

Am I supposed to write the review in paragraphs or with points and headings?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

You should write your review in paragraphs.

Question

How do I write a review of a poem?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

I would start by reviewing the poem's structure and how effective it is. This would include looking at some of the
tools that the poem uses -- alliteration, rhyming scheme, metaphor, etc. -- and deciding whether or not they helped
to convey the message of the poet. I would also look at the message of the poem itself and see if it came across
clearly and meaningfully.

Question

Should I use double spacing in this type of write up?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

It depends on what your teacher wants. Sometimes it may be single spaced, and other times the teacher may want
you to double space your work. Check with them if you need clarification.

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Question

How do I introduce other references in the body if I have consulted others?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

There are two ways. The first is by using brackets at the end of a sentence: for exmample, Evidence shows that
strategic frameworks are a necessity in successful business management (Smith & Gerald 1998). Or, you can add it
in the sentence itself, for example: According to Smith & Gerald 1998 it was evident that...

Question

Do I use references for each and every sentence when writing an article review?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

No, you don't have to write references in each and every sentence. Your review should mostly be composed of your
own summary and arguments.

Question

Should I cite examples in my review?

wikiHow Contributor
Community Answer

Yes, it is important to reference the examples. You are using them to support the argument or your critique of the
article.

References

1. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
2. https://www.atsu.edu/research/pdfs/how_to_write_a_review_article.pdf
3. https://www.atsu.edu/research/pdfs/how_to_write_a_review_article.pdf
4. http://www.history.vt.edu/undergraduate/article_review.htm
5. http://www.history.vt.edu/undergraduate/article_review.htm
6. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
7. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
8. http://blog.efpsa.org/2012/09/01/how-to-write-a-good-title-for-journal-articles/
9. http://www.history.vt.edu/undergraduate/article_review.htm
10. http://www.history.vt.edu/undergraduate/article_review.htm
11. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
12. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/WRITEREAD/CritReview/samples.htm
13. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
14. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492
15. http://www.history.vt.edu/undergraduate/article_review.htm
16. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/WRITEREAD/CritReview/samples.htm
17. https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/node/492

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