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How to Write the Perfect Article Review | Example, Format, Dos and Don’ts

Our experts have written this guide to help you understand what an Article Review is, how to approach the task of writing one, and more importantly, we’ll give you plenty of tips to get the job done.

Today’s topic is how to write the perfect Article Review, and as with many things in life, the key here is to understand:

What Is An Article Review, And What are Your Goals Should Be?

An Article Review is a piece of personalized writing where you take someone else’s text. Usually, an expert in the field understands it, summarizes it, and then writes in your own words your opinion about the relevance and impact of that text on your chosen field or topic and why. This is a review, remember.

Your opinion is as important as the authors’. You are reviewing the author’s work, not the other way around.

While there is no basic format for writing an Article Review, we strongly recommend that you develop a structure for your text.

Dividing your text into clearly defined sections will help you maintain a coherent flow of information and make your life easier. We know what we’re talking about.

Follow these key points to create a perfectly structured Article Review:

  • Understanding,
  • Summarizing,
  • Outlining,
  • Writing.

Understanding The Article

Millions of articles are written every day on almost every topic imaginable.

Suppose your teacher will give the class a few articles to review each semester.

The article‘s topic is irrelevant because the techniques and skills you need to use are the same, whether the article is about popular psychology, a historical fact, or how to grow vegetables in your garden. But often, you will have a choice of which article to review.

Rule Number 1: Always Choose A Topic That You Like And Enjoy

Why? You will understand it better because you want to understand it, and you will likely already have little knowledge of the subject.

Choose a topic that stimulates your imagination. Otherwise, you will find writing difficult, and the flow will quickly become a trickle and dry up.

Always choose a topic that interests you. An excellent way to properly understand the article is to look at the abstract.

Rule Number 2: Look At The Abstract Of The Article

If the abstract is written correctly, it will give you an excellent overall understanding of what the article is about so that your review begins on a solid foundation.

You shouldn’t waste time reading through the entire article, as you’ll likely miss the most critical points, and don’t think about starting to write just yet.

Here are a few DOs and DON’Ts of the comprehension phase. Choose a topic that interests you. Look at the Summary of the article.

Don’t waste time reading the entire article yet. Don’t start writing if you do not understand precisely what the article is about.

Summarizing The Article

Summarizing an article is similar to understanding the article. The author has woven his opinion into the text, and it’s your job to find it. At this point, it’s a good idea to read through the text and extract the article’s main points.

Some people use colored markers to highlight these points in the text. Others have a more photographic memory or write the article’s main points on a separate sheet of paper.

Regardless of your technique, always make sure that the main points and supporting facts stand out for you. You will need this information later.

Once you have your main points and facts supporting those arguments, reread the article. You may notice words, concepts, or ideas you are unfamiliar with. It’s a good idea to research these points to make sure you understand the ideas.

The main points should now stand out. A second or even third close reading will reinforce this knowledge. Your brain will connect the dots, and a clear outline of the article will likely become apparent.

Remember, structured writing is good writing. Here are a couple of DOs and DON’Ts for the summarizing stage.

Do read through the text and extract the main points the author expressed. Think about a structure for your Summary.

Look up any ideas or concepts you are not sure about. Don’t rush your writing if you don’t have a structure.

Outline Writing

Outline Writing is usually a very personal experience, and writing a review is no different. This is your interpretation of the author’s views.

You probably have your own opinions and thoughts on the discussed topic, and you need to use them to present your points in the upcoming review. However, first, write a short paragraph or two about the article’s main points and the facts used to support them.

Remember that this is only a Summary of the main arguments presented in the article. The Outline should not include your views or opinions.

Also, don’t waste time extensively revising your text. There will be time for that later. The Outline will help you decide which parts of the article to focus on when writing your review. Reading through the Outline is good, and removing any redundant parts, irrelevant or unnecessary.

A few DOs and DON’Ts of phase Outline Writing. Write the main points of the article.

Use short paragraphs for your Outline. Remove unnecessary things. Do not write your views or opinions yet. Don’t spend time editing the Outline Writing. This is where it gets exciting.

Process Of Writing Your Article Outline

The actual process of writing your article outline starts here. But first, let’s recap:

  • By now, you understand what the article is about.
  • You’ve summarized the main points.
  • You’ve created an outline in your own words.

With these points in mind, it’s time to start writing your review.

Most Article Reviews follow a set structure. Always remember the Mantra structured writing is good. Title, Quote, Introduction, Summary, Critique, Conclusion.

Title

Every review starts with a Title. An excellent relevant Title is essential in making a positive first impression. The Title should convey precisely what the focus of the review is. When you see the correct Title on paper or on your computer screen, things become much more accessible.

Try to maintain the Title as short and relevant as possible. Overly long-winded Titles confuse the audience.

Remember: write an excellent relevant Title. Don’t write an excessively long Title.

Quote

Cite the article being discussed right after the article and author.

Imagine the article about the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics in American hospitals by John Smith. The citation should reflect the author, the article’s original title, where it was first published, the date, and the form in which it was published (print, online, etc.

A good citation would look something like this: Smith John. Usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics in American Hospitals’ US Medical Journal, March 2018 issue, print.

This citation provides all the critical information listed above.

Introduction

Utilize the Introduction to mention the article’s main points and briefly discuss the author’s issues and arguments to make their claims.

Be brief in the Introduction. It should only be between 10 and 20 percent of the total length of the review. And always write in the third person. We recommend you begin by mentioning the original paper’s title and author. This reinforces the Introduction to the topic.

In our example, you might identify the article usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics,” written by Smith John, which first appeared in the March 2018 print edition of the US Medical Journal.” This sentence accurately reflects the article’s name, the author, and where the article first appeared.

It may seem redundant since the Quote contains pretty much the same information, but it’s good to reinforce it. Trust us; it will help get the review going.

Remember to use short paragraphs for your Introduction. Mention the title and author of the original article.

State the main points of the article. Do not write an overly long Introduction. Write in the third person. Do not write in the first person.

Summary

Remember that you summarized the article earlier? The ideas and points you pulled outcome into play at this point. Write the article‘s main points, ideas, and the facts supporting them in your own words.

Refer to your notes or the bullet points you made earlier. This Summary can be long, depending on how the author covered many ideas and points.

Utilize as many paragraphs as you need to cover all the essential things. You can include direct Quotes from the author, but don’t overdo them.

The Summary should capture all the important points and ideas of the article. Use the points in your Summary from the beginning. Be specific in your description of the author’s reasoning.

Use your own words. Cover all the main points. Don’t include too many Quotes from the author.

Critique

The Critique is the core of the entire review. Use the Critique to discuss the author’s opinion of the topic and how well they covered the issues.

This part is bound to be lengthy. The Critique should evaluate the extent to which the article has contributed to your chosen field, assess the claims’ validity, and determine if there are any biases.

You might or may not agree with the author’s assertions, but in any case, you must support your Critique with well-researched facts and figures, if necessary.

In short, you analyze the article‘s relevance and explain why you think it is necessary or not. Write a sufficiently long Critique. Evaluate the author’s contribution.

Support your assertions with facts and figures. Don’t use the Critique to promote your agenda.

Conclusion

If you end the review with the Critique, it will feel like something is missing, which is not good. Always end your Article Critique with a Conclusion.

A short paragraph containing the article‘s main points and your opinion on the topic should be enough. And as with the Introduction, keep it short. The conclusion should not take up more than 10% of the entire article.

In our example about narrow-spectrum antibiotics, an excellent concluding statement would be, “In this review, the article ‘Usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics in American hospitals’ by John Smith was evaluated.

Although critical in the fight against positively identified diseases, these antibiotics still vary widely from one institution to another.

There also appears to be no standardized methodology or procedure for their storage, resulting in shorter than intended shelf lives in many cases.” Proofreading all the writing is done.

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