Start with a header with citation – Journal article reviews start with a header, including citation of the sources being reviewed. This citation is mentioned at the top of the review, following the APA style (refer to the APA style manual for more information).
How do you write a good review for an article?
Why write a review article? –
To provide a comprehensive foundation on a topic. To explain the current state of knowledge. To identify gaps in existing studies for potential future research. To highlight the main methodologies and research techniques.
There are some journals that only publish review articles, and others that do not accept them. Make sure you check the of the journal you’d like to publish in to find out if it’s the right place for your review article. Below are 8 key items to consider when you begin writing your review article.
Make sure you have read the aims and scope for the journal you are submitting to and follow them closely. Different journals accept different types of articles and not all will accept review articles, so it’s important to check this before you start writing. Define the scope of your review article and the research question you’ll be answering, making sure your article contributes something new to the field.
As award-winning author Angus Crake told us, you’ll also need to “define the scope of your review so that it is manageable, not too large or small; it may be necessary to focus on recent advances if the field is well established.” When finding sources to evaluate, Angus Crake says it’s critical that you “use multiple search engines/databases so you don’t miss any important ones.” For finding studies for a systematic review in medical sciences,,
Does a literature review need an introduction? Yes, always start with an overview of the topic and give some context, explaining why a review of the topic is necessary. Gather research to inform your introduction and make it broad enough to reach out to a large audience of non-specialists. This will help maximize its wider relevance and impact.
Don’t make your introduction too long. Divide the review into sections of a suitable length to allow key points to be identified more easily. Make sure you present a critical discussion, not just a descriptive summary of the topic. If there is contradictory research in your area of focus, make sure to include an element of debate and present both sides of the argument.
- You can also use your review paper to resolve conflict between contradictory studies.
- As part of your conclusion, include making suggestions for future research on the topic.
- Focus on the goal to communicate what you understood and what unknowns still remains.
- Always perform a final spell and grammar check of your article before submission.
You may want to ask a critical friend or colleague to give their feedback before you submit. If English is not your first language, think about using a language-polishing service. Find out more about how can help improve your manuscript before you submit.
| Differences in. | Research article | Review article | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewpoint | Presents the viewpoint of the author | Critiques the viewpoint of other authors on a particular topic | |
| Content | New content | Assessing already published content | |
| Length | Depends on the word limit provided by the journal you submit to | Tends to be shorter than a research article, but will still need to adhere to words limit | |
Complete this checklist before you submit your review article:
Have you checked the journal’s aims and scope? Have you defined the scope of your article? Did you use multiple search engines to find sources to evaluate? Have you written a descriptive title and abstract using keywords? Did you start with an overview of the topic? Have you presented a critical discussion? Have you included future suggestions for research in your conclusion? Have you asked a friend to do a final spell and grammar check?
: What is a review article? | Learn how to write a review article |
How long is a review article?
Understand what the journal wants – Most journals, including the Trends journals, have a dense array of author guidelines that provide instructions on everything from how to format a glossary (put each term in bold the first time it appears in the main text) to how long an abstract can be (strictly no more than 120 words for longer formats and 50 words for shorter formats) to how to prepare print-quality figures (300 dpi,,tif format preferred).
These items are important and may delay or preclude publication if they’re not followed, but they’re things that can be addressed as you’re polishing a manuscript for submission. Before you start writing, though, get a general sense of what the journal expects from you. In particular, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences editor Kushi Mukherjee emphasizes how understanding the journal’s length requirements before you start writing can prevent significant frustration later on.
Trends journals advise submitting Review articles between 3,000 and 3,500 words on initial submission. If you keep this goal in mind from the beginning and end up a few hundred words long or short, then it’s relatively straightforward to cut or add to reach the appropriate length.
How long should an APA literature review be?
What is a Literature Review? A literature review is a survey and discussion of the literature in a given area of study. It is a concise overview of what has been studied, argued, and established about a topic, and it is usually organized chronologically or thematically.
- A literature review is written in essay format.
- It is not an annotated bibliography, because it groups related works together and discusses trends and developments rather than focusing on one item at a time.
- It is not a summary; rather, it evaluates previous and current research in regard to how relevant and/or useful it is and how it relates to your own research.
A Literature Review is more than an Annotated Bibliography or a summary, because you are organizing and presenting your sources in terms of their overall relationship to your own project. Purpose A literature review is written to highlight specific arguments and ideas in a field of study.
By highlighting these arguments, the writer attempts to show what has been studied in the field, and also where the weaknesses, gaps, or areas needing further study are. The review should therefore also demonstrate to the reader why the writer’s research is useful, necessary, important, and valid. Audience Literature reviews can have different types of audiences, so consider why and for whom you are writing your review.
For example, a lot of literature reviews are written as a chapter for a thesis or dissertation, so the audience will want to know in what way your research is important and original. Highlighting the gap in knowledge which your research aims to fill is particularly important in this instance because you need to convince the reader that there is an opening in the area of study.
- A literature review in a proposal will similarly try to convince the audience of the significance and worthiness of the proposed project.
- In contrast, when you are writing a literature review for a course, your professor may want you to show that you understand what research has been done, giving you a base of knowledge.
In this case, you may not need to focus as much on proving where the gaps in knowledge lie, but rather, that you know what the major areas of study and key ideas are. Questions a Literature Review Should Answer: Asking questions such as the following will help you sift through your sources and organize your literature review.
What’s been done in this topic area to date? What are the significant discoveries, key concepts, arguments, and/or theories that scholars have put forward? Which are the important works? On which particular areas of the topic has previous research concentrated? Have there been developments over time? What methodologies have been used? Are there any gaps in the research? Are there areas that haven’t been looked at closely yet, but which should be? Are there new ways of looking at the topic? Are there improved methodologies for researching this subject? What future directions should research in this subject take? How will your research build on or depart from current and previous research on the topic? What contribution will your research make to the field?
Length The length of a literature review varies depending on its purpose and audience. In a thesis or dissertation, the review is usually a full chapter (at least 20 pages), but for an assignment it may only be a few pages. Structure There are several ways to organize and structure a literature review.
- Two common ways are chronologically and thematically.
- Chronological: In a chronological review, you will group and discuss your sources in order of their appearance (usually publication), highlighting the changes in research in the field and your specific topic over time.
- This method is useful for papers focusing on research methodology, historiographical papers, and other writing where time becomes an important element.
For example, a literature review on theories of mental illness might present how the understanding of mental illness has changed through the centuries, by giving a series of examples of key developments and ending with current theories and the direction your research will take.
- Thematic: In a thematic review, you will group and discuss your sources in terms of the themes or topics they cover.
- This method is often a stronger one organizationally, and it can help you resist the urge to summarize your sources.
- By grouping themes or topics of research together, you will be able to demonstrate the types of topics that are important to your research.
For example, if the topic of the literature review is changes in popular music, then there might be separate sections on research involving the production of music, research on the dissemination of music, research on the interpretation of music, and historical studies of popular music.
What is the structure of a review essay?
Review essays follow a general pattern: introduction, summary of the book, critical discussion, conclusion. (Full publication data for the book should appear between the title of the review essay and the first line of the essay.) These sections should be clear to you as the essay writer and equally clear to the reader.
What are the important parts of a review?
Answer: According to the Council of Science Editors’ white paper on publication ethics, a peer reviewer’s responsibilities include:
Providing unbiased written feedback on the merits and scientific value of the work.Assessing the composition, clarity, scientific accuracy, and originality of the work and its relevance for the target audience.Providing a thoughtful, fair, constructive, and informative evaluation of the manuscript.Avoiding personal comments or criticism.Maintaining the confidentiality of the review process.Pointing out ethical concerns, such as possible lack of informed consent or duplicate submission to the editor
Based on the above criteria, a thorough and complete review would probably include the following elements: 1. A short summary of the reviewer’s overall understanding of the manuscript.2. An overview of the reviewer’s impression of the work, whether it will contribute to existing knowledge in the field, and if it will be of interest to the target audience.3.
Major comments will include specific comments and suggestions about the content of each section of the paper as well as about the structure and organization, backed by supporting evidence and examples.Minor comments would point out minor errors such as incorrect labeling of a figure, spelling, grammatical errors, stylistic, and formatting issues.
4. A separate list of comments that are meant exclusively for the editor 5. Any incidence of suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, or any other ethical breach should be reported to the editor.6. Recommendation for acceptance, rejection, major or minor revisions to the editor, providing reasons for the reviewer’s opinion.
- With regard to substandard reviews, it would probably help if you give them a model review along with a few other resources.
- You would definitely not be able to give them an actual review as it would be a breach of confidentiality, but you could think of creating a mock review to serve as a model for reviewers.
Another option is to standardize your journal’s review processes by having a form. Many journals use such forms for review purposes. The form would include all the points on which you would want the reviewer to comment. Additionally, you could provide the reviewers with some resources that would help them understand how to review a manuscript and what to include in the review report.
How do you cite a journal in a review?
An Article in a Scholarly Journal – A scholarly journal can be thought of as a container, as are collections of short stories or poems, a television series, or even a website. A container can be thought of as anything that contains other pieces of work.
In this case, cite the author and title of article as you normally would. Then, put the title of the journal in italics. Include the volume number (“vol.”) and issue number (“no.”) when possible, separated by commas. Finally, add the year and page numbers. Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.
Bagchi, Alaknanda. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi’s Bashai Tudu,” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol.15, no.1, 1996, pp.41-50. Duvall, John N. “The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo’s White Noise,” Arizona Quarterly, vol.50, no.3, 1994, pp.127-53.
What is the format for journal peer review?
Format Your Document in a Standard Way – Peer review feedback is most easily digested and understood by both editors and authors when it arrives in a clear, logical format. Most commonly the format is (1) Summary, (2) Decision, (3) Major Concerns, and (4) Minor Concerns (see also Structure Diagram above).