What is an article review

An article review is a process of critically evaluating literature within a specific field, it entails summarizing, classifying and conducting comparison among different research findings. Article review involves searching for scientific articles among databases to retrieve relevant research findings presented by different authors. The purpose of review is to give both students and scholars the opportunity to evaluate the work of other experts in a specific field.  Using the article review process, experts offer critical opinions about other expert research work.

Processes involved in Article Review

Article review involves presenting your analysis of a subject based on an article finding to people who are conversant with a specific area of knowledge. It demands professional writing with high standards and an in-depth presentation of our opinion.

Important points to consider before starting to review an article includes understanding that an article review does not require new information, but requires our response based on another author’s work. Article review requires a critical evaluation and comparisons using theories, ideas and research findings that are related to the subject at hand. A good article review should have well-organized ideas that build ideas and present its arguments consistently.

Reading and reviewing

Before starting the review process, it is important to read the selected article to have a better understanding of the article content. It is advisable to read and re-read the article to identify some of the common themes described in the article. After reading the article, it is important to pinpoint the key points presented by the author,  this critical step will help identify the main article points of argument that helps in building up logical arguments while critiquing the article.

Preparing an Outline

An outline is a key when writing a perfect paper, it makes the writing easy when presenting the article’s arguments. Writing an outline involves choosing the specific statement that presents the main purpose of the review, known as the thesis. A thesis statement states the main ideas and helps control their flow. Thesis statements are a reflection of our judgment or opinion which can be generated from reading or personal experiences. Developing a thesis statement entails presenting the intention expressed by the author and presenting if the author’s intention were realized.

Coming up with an outline requires the writer to read the article and note down important facts and any other contributions made by other relevant research findings. A good outline needs to identify knowledge gaps and any contradictions.  An outline should also entail some of the shortcoming and strengths of the identified articles and finally summarizing the paper based on concrete knowledge.

Writing a review

Introduction

The first part is the introduction, the introduction begins with mentioning the name of the article. For example, the article titled “New evidence on the treatment of ADHD” by Lucian, Barnes-Holmes, and Barnes-Holmes discusses treatment and management of ADHD among children.

The first paragraph should include a thesis statement. The other important points during introduction include writing how the article relates to other research findings on the specific topic. When writing an article review, the topic needs to be clearly stated, citing the identified article at the beginning of the paper, which is also important.  Presenting the topic at the beginning of the paper will communicate to the reader about the main purpose of the writing. The topic needs to be appealing and should highlight the most important points of the article to be reviewed. The topic should be declarative, evocative or probing.
Citing the article will enable the reader to know the specific article in question, for example:

Luciano, C., Barnes-Holmes, Y., & Barnes-Holmes, D. (2002)? New evidence on the treatment of ADHD. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 23 (6), 406-421.

During an introduction, one shall explain the criteria the author used when analyzing and also comparing its findings, one will explain the organization for the review.

The body of the review

When writing a review, the body of the paper should begin with a topic sentence that states the main ideas of the paragraph. Starting the paragraph with a topic sentence presents the reader with the idea early. The body of the paper should include data analyzed or quotations, or a set of comparison showing evidence.

The body of the article should outline the arguments that support the thesis statement followed by a logic development of ideas noted when developing the outline. It is important to quote some facts presented by the author to illustrate the main article ideas. When reviewing an article, it is important to summarize the whole idea of the article, including what the author stated by noting relevant facts and other article findings.

The next step is to critique the article by highlighting the article’s strengths and weaknesses based on your opinion. It is also imperative to acknowledge the author’s contribution in the specific field and also highlight the gaps and any contradictions found in the article.  Criticizing an article entails taking a standpoint to either support or not support the author’s findings. All these should be backed up by fact and theories that apply to the topic. When choosing quotes from the article to support your argument, it’s important to select and discuss materials from the article to prove your point. Quotations help in developing an argument about the authors work using your words.

Conclusion

The concluding paragraph needs to summarize the views of the article and also restate the thesis statement. In this section, concluding means revisiting the main ideas of the article and highlighting our opinion of the article. The conclusion also presents the opportunity to give a way forward for further research. An effective conclusion needs to go beyond summary and appreciate the author’s efforts and the significance of the article. Conclusion helps the readers to realize how you developed an argument or if the paper answered the question.  The conclusion should be developed from a reader’s perspective. At the end of the paper, the reader needs to gain new insight from the paper about the topic of discussion.

Reviewing the draft

After completing the first draft of the review, it’s important to revise the written paper to check for spelling and grammar. Proofreading needs to delete unnecessary and repetitive phrases or words and also add any missing information before submitting the final work.  Proofreading needs to check for errors in quotations or in references, logic development and also check if the paper has a solid support for the thesis statement. During the review, major changes of the content are allowed before submitting the final work.