how to write article reviews

how to write article reviews

Mastering the Art of Writing Article Reviews

1. Introduction to Article Reviews

The best way to do this is to read numerous articles. If you’ve been assigned one, more’s the better. If you were not, then if anything, you should ask for a list of reputable sources or publications to subscribe to if anything. If it were an essay assignment, you would also read articles, collections, journals, and books. Social studies can tell you how information is gained and analyzed. Science can point out what questions to ask, things to look for, and how to explore and examine them. Literature will state how to drive and shape an essay. And the multitude of subjects teaches how to organize all the information you have into a flowing and useful document.

There are many ways to learn how to write essays, but writing article reviews is a different story altogether. What sets it apart from other essay types is that there is no formal format to working on it. As a result, preconceptions of writing essays will pose as a challenge. Moreover, the point of it is to act as an opinion, story, or newsfeed. Sometimes, teachers will not teach how to write articles. Instead, it will be broken down into two shorter essays instead, which defeats the idea of article reviews. It does, however, create the opportunity for a student to turn how he or she sees something into a written essay.

2. Key Components of a Well-Written Article Review

Next, writers should critique the article by focusing their attention on the strengths and weaknesses of the article. They should also focus on how the article’s details contribute to the final result (i.e., the article review). Writing a review of an article published in a scholarly journal is a common assignment for students enrolled in a research methods class. The difficulty of the assignment does not lie in writing an article review but in its popularity or in the number of regularly assigned readings. The task often becomes even more daunting as students will need to read several articles before they can then write the review. Most articles thus begin with a summary of what the authors did in their research. With the main purpose of reporting on the results of a study, it affects the review and the outcome by introducing the focal article and the author’s argument (thesis statement). Providing the reader with a step-by-step evaluation of each section is crucial.

Mastering the art of writing an article review is not an easy feat. It requires a lot of focus and one must ensure that he/she has a good understanding of the article before attempting to review it. As such, writers must clearly state which article they are reviewing. This should be done at the beginning of the article review, either in the first or second paragraph. The article should also be identified in the review either by including citation information at the beginning of the review or by including the title of the article in the first or second paragraph. Moreover, it is essential that the article review writer has a clear understanding of the article and its contents before writing the review. Big concepts or big headings can be used as subheadings for various sections of the review to make it easier for the reader to navigate from one section to another.

3. Critical Analysis and Evaluation Techniques

Discussion: Do the conclusions justify the inferences that are drawn from them? The author should avoid referring to the results unless the author’s meaning is unclear. Any pertinent information on the discussion area should not be excluded. Also, the author should ascertain that he or she should be thoughtful in the deductions he or she arrives at. Are the specific details legitimate within the social and physical situation settings? Can we believe, incorporate, or use the particulars in another perspective? What is also considered is making certain that the author goes beyond where the author’s consciousness leads him or her. Are the conclusions consistent with the background or context of the author’s question or problem? This approach can, in turn, be understood and critiqued by your reader.

Results: One of the more important acquirements from the article is generally the details of the results. How important is this information for those who might use the result? If the inference is important or crucial, can we trust it? The results must provide a synopsis of the information and/or problem that the author addresses.

Material and Methods: While a review ought not to be to the exclusion of other evaluative requirements, authors are usually (but not always) quite correct in describing their research by disseminating the structure of the question or hypothesis on which they are working, including the epistemological nature of the problem and/or hypothesis; a description of research methods to be used, such as survey, field, or laboratory work; a clear discussion concerning the validity and fallibility of the methods employed; and the presentation of the results themselves.

General: The work should be cited using APA, properly summarized (you should tell us why we should, or should not, read the article), and any relevant conclusions concerning the article’s focus should be included. Absent specific instructions from the instructor, details from the reading should not be an overlarge part of the review, so do not simply list a series of quotations from the article. Provide background information concerning the article that will help others to understand the article’s content. Background information may include a summary of similar or associated hypotheses and locational, chronological, and systemic data of some importance.

Introduction: Identify the article, providing the complete bibliographic citation, and then state succinctly the main question or problem the article addresses. By giving this information, you let the instructor and your fellow readers know if the topic is of interest to you and to them, and if the topic could be omitted or included in course lectures. State the author’s purpose or thesis defensively.

Use the following guidelines for evaluating the content of the article you are reviewing. Make any necessary corrections in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting.

4. Tips for Writing a Coherent and Engaging Review

1. Keep it fun to read. When writing an article review, you must sound like an expert, but you must also be reader-friendly. To achieve this balance, eliminate jargon unless you are sure that your readers will understand it. Also, avoid using quotations in article reviews. Your readers want to know what you thought of the article, not what the authors thought. They also do not want to waste time reading about what others have written – they want to hear your voice and thoughts. Be concise and selective – this is not about your views or the beliefs of the source article’s authors. By focusing on what you want to say, instead of the source article’s words, you will focus on what is most relevant and important. The review should reflect your own coherent opinions about the sources that cite each other, not repeat the sources’ messages.

The first challenge in mastering the art of writing article reviews involves making sure that your critique of the research is systematic and well reasoned. The second challenge is to engage readers so that they want to read your review – whether it is the course instructor, editor of a journal, or a potential reader who has found your review as a result of an internet search. Writing an engaging and informative review will help you to showcase your knowledge and critical abilities, and increase your reputation in the academic or business communities in question. This chapter is therefore about crafting your review after you have completed the writing process and are ready to polish your draft into a polished product.