journal article review example apa

journal article review example apa

The Importance of Journal Article Reviews in APA Format

1. Introduction

It is important to write an introduction that provides context for the article. Two to three paragraphs should be sufficient. Find the thesis of the article and come up with your own thesis. This should be your opinion or a very brief overview of your thoughts on the article. The thesis will be a good indication of whether the article is true or false. This is sometimes the most difficult part for intermediate students. The body of the article you are summarizing is supposed to provide the reader a feel for what the article is about. This is a tough transition for some students. They are trying to write it in the same way they would write, say, an English comparative essay. This is done with good reason. Encouraging students to write in such a way that the article review is interesting and engaging is often an exercise given to students so that they will be able to put writing and critical thinking skills into play. At this point of the article it is often very useful for the student to revisit the thesis statement and see if it is still valid given the new understanding of the article.

This paper discusses the importance and process of writing a journal article review for an APA format. The purpose of summarizing an article is to reflect the understanding of the article read, proving that the student knows what he/she is reading. Whether it is a narrative, a literature review, or a research article. There are a few steps to take before getting started. The first is to find an article that the student is interested in. Finding an article that is intriguing will not only make the assignment a lot easier but will also make it more enjoyable. Reading the article thoroughly and repeatedly is essential to understanding and picking out the main points and supporting points. A student should take notes or underline in the article in order to remember the main points or claims that the article is trying to purport.

2. Understanding APA Format in Journal Article Reviews

APA format is very systematic and is widely used for writing documents or journals. This format is usually used in preparing documents in research and journal article reviews. An article review is a document that is the result of a systematic study and classification of literary works and several other writings. The contents of an article review cover the problems or interesting information that is contained in the writing, so the writing can be used as a reference. The main purpose of journal article reviews is to help community members understand or solve a problem based on the analysis of written work. In this case, the article review is the most appropriate way to communicate in solving a problem. Data taken from an article review can be in the form of reports, proposals, and new position papers.

APA format requires certain font type, size, and color for the text and background. The font type has to be clear and simple to read like Arial, Times New Roman, etc. The APA suggests that using 12 pt. Times New Roman font would be best. Italics are also acceptable for citations. However, if it is an article, essay, thesis, etc., it should be in regular type. The title of a journal should not be in italics, whereas the book and article titles should be in italics.

3. Key Elements to Include in an APA-Formatted Journal Article Review

Unordered list: He also mentioned that the review should provide details and examples from the article to support the reviewer’s comments. Histories of past and present events can have an impact on the future and it is our duty to understand the past in order to avoid making the same mistakes. During the process of revising an article for a resubmission, the author should seek a self-evaluation from the same reviewer in order to compare the differences in the article and the reasons for making the changes. This is primarily for the benefit of the author who seeks to clarify or improve his article, but it is also a teaching process for the student of research. An article review assignment is an excellent way to do this for students of research in a course in social issues and research. Due to the relevance and implications of the article being reviewed, the review assignment can be an insightful research teaching tool using the article as a lesson to make connections between the issues of today and the research needed to solve them.

These elements are common to many article reviews, particularly those written in APA style.

Introductory phrase: On the most recent page of [Link], there was an article regarding how to use APA style formatting when writing an article review. As a journal editor, I can attest that knowledge in APA style formatting is extremely important to have when writing an article review. The article goes into detail of the key elements that should be included in the review in order to conform to APA style. The key elements are derived from the journal editor’s commentary following some article review submissions. This editorial review has guided authors to improve their article by considering nine essential elements in their article review. The key elements are as follows: (a) A one or two sentence statement of the article’s conclusion. (b) An evaluation of the article’s main points. (c) Research implications stated by the author. (d) A critique of the article’s research and/or analysis. (e) The relevance of the article’s research and theoretical issues in the field. (f) Discussion with research cited from article to augment the reviewer’s position. (g) Reference to other articles on the same topic, noting how the present article is similar or different and presenting the rationale for the comparisons. (h) The reviewer’s own ideas, noting ways in which the article can be useful (i.e., teaching ideas, suggestions the research might be conducted, or ways research findings might be applied to current social issues). (i) If trying to establish the article as a seminal piece, a historical background can be used to compare it with other articles and to anticipate future research on the topic.

3. Key elements to include in an APA-formatted journal article review

4. Tips for Writing an Effective Journal Article Review in APA Style

Evaluation and analysis: Throughout the review, you should express your thoughts about the article. Ask questions such as, did the author achieve his/her purpose? What new evidence is presented in the article and how does it bolster the author’s case? What are the implications of the data and/or findings? What are the strengths and limitations of the article? Addressing these questions will help to make your review more analytical and less descriptive. When you write about your evaluation, avoid phrases such as “I think” or “I believe,” instead use an expression which sounds less opinionated (Hacker, 2003). An example would be, “This article provides a strong case for….,” or “It is clear that the research conducted has….” On a side note, do not treat the article like a mystery novel. Do not build suspense by keeping the reader in anticipation until the end; this only makes for a very frustrating reading experience.

Summarize the article: In the beginning of your review, provide a brief summary of the article. Start with a description of the study being reviewed, its purpose, hypotheses, and methodology. Then describe the major points from the article, i.e., what the author has done. During the summary, try to keep it concise and to-the-point. Use of direct quotes or passages from the article are unnecessary; it is best to paraphrase and cite the page number in parentheses (Hacker, 2003).

There are many things to think about when writing a journal article review. Your main goal is to analyze the contents of the article in terms of how relevant they are to the specific field of study in which you are involved. A well-written review will have the reader thinking in-depth about the implications of the content and possibly considering changes to the research methods or altering the future research directions. This can be a challenging task, so with that in mind, here are some suggestions to help you write an effective review using the APA style.

5. Conclusion

In an effort to fully engage in scholarly work and better understand the development of theory and research, it is important to understand how to identify the various components of a research article. This entails a knowledge of the literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, research questions or hypotheses, and the method and analysis sections of an article. One useful way to achieve this is through careful reading and understanding of academic research. Because articles in scholarly journals are rather lengthy, complex, and written with a high level of technical detail, it can be challenging to understand the entire content of an article as well as to remember it for a future class. A particularly effective approach to coping with the challenge is to focus on the more specific details of the article, such as its key points, and to evaluate the article, or a portion of it, in terms of summarization. This can be done through the use of an article review contained within current scholarly journals, or more effectively, through a summary of an article with an informal response. But without a doubt, writing an article review or a research summary can be one of the most difficult tasks that students encounter on their academic journey. Writing a research summary is almost as complex as writing the research article itself, since it contains a similar level of depth, comprehension, and understanding. At research level, the future researchers are expected to carry out research and put forth their theories and ideas into practice. During the course of their journey, they are to evaluate the existing theories and put forth their base into their research. Usually, it reflects upon what we ask our students to do, i.e. write summary and theory integration papers on journals of course. Owing to this, we can assume the roles we embark at present will run parallel to that expected by our subordinates. As students will continue to report and summarize work on various articles, it is crucial to develop the understanding of this exercise. Writing a research article summary is a complex process as it requires the understanding of an article and then reshaping it to construct a meaningful, concise, and coherent informative piece. This shows that reading comprehension of an article and articulating it in a more understandable way is an indicator of intelligence level and to assess that, the assignment of review summaries is given the task of doing.