Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.
Easier said than done, right?
Did you know that every year thousands of students like you write millions of words
for their school assignments?
Millions.
Think about that fact.
Words cascade onto the paper and then sail on to the teacher's desk.
Problem is that the river soon dries up for many, because a lot of that work is simply not
good.
But we can help you get better, and make your own words dance and flow smoothly on to the
paper.
Hi guys, this is Mark from Essaypro, and today we're going to teach you how to write the
perfect article review.
Our experts at EssayPro wrote 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 like a pro.
But before we get down to it, remember that we publish content every week, so don't forget
to subscribe to our channel, and click that bell button so you never miss a thing.
Check out our social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok
So 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 an article review is, and what your objectives
should be when you write it.
What is an article review?
The answer is quite simple.
It's there hiding in plain sight.
An article review is a piece of personalized writing where you take someone else's text
usually an expert on the subject, understand it, summarize it, and then write, in your
words, your opinion about the relevance and impact of that text on its chosen field or
subject, and why.
This is a review, remember.
Your opinion matters as much as the writer's.
You are reviewing their work, not the other way around.
Now, while there's no standard format to write an article review, we at Essaypro strongly
recommend that you figure out a structure for your piece.
Framing your writing into well-defined sections will enable you to maintain a coherent flow
of information, and make your life a lot easier.
Trust us, we've been doing this for over two decades.
We know what we're talking about.
Follow these key points to create a perfectly structured article review:
Understand Summarize
Outline Write
Profread
Understanding the article
There are millions of articles written every day, just about every possible topic you can
think of.
Your teacher will give the class a few articles to review every semester.
Now, the article's topic is irrelevant, because the techniques and skills you need to use
are the same whether the piece is on popular psychology, a historical fact, or how to grow
vegetables in your back garden.
But often, you will have a choice of which article to review.
Rule number 1: Always pick a topic that you like and enjoy.
Why?
You will understand it better because you want to understand it, and it's likely that
you already have a certain degree of knowledge on the subject matter.
Pick a topic that excites your imagination.
Otherwise, you will have a hard time writing, and the river will quickly become a trickle
and dry out.
Always pick a topic of interest to you.
A good way to get a proper understanding of what the article is about is looking at the
Abstract.
Rule Number 2. Look at the article's Abstract.
If the Abstract is properly written, it will give you a good, overall understanding of
what the article is about, so your review will start on a sound footing.
You should not waste time by reading through the entire article at this point yet, because
you will likely miss out on its main points, and don't even think about starting to write
yet.
Here are a few DOs and DON'Ts of the Understanding stage
DO pick a topic that's of interest to you.
DO look at the article's Abstract.
DON'T waste time by reading through the entire article yet.
DON'T start writing without a thorough understanding of what the article is about.
Summarizing the article
Now that you have a basic understanding of the topic being discussed, you might want
to pause for a moment and look at the article text properly.
All the main points are there, somewhere.
Remember those word search games you played as a child, where you had to find the words
hidden among hundreds of letters?
Summarizing an article is similar to that.
The author weaved his or her opinion through 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 main points of the
piece.
Some people use color markers to highlight these points through the text.
Others have a more photographic memory, or perhaps write the article's main points on
a separate piece of paper.
Whichever technique you use, always make sure that the main points and any supporting facts
stand out to you.
You will need this information later.
You may spot words, concepts, or ideas that you're unfamiliar with.
It's a good idea to research these points, to ensure you grasp the ideas.
Once you have your main points, and any facts that support these arguments, read through
the article a second time.
The main points should stand out now.
A second, even third close reading will reinforce this knowledge.
Your brain will connect the dots, and a clear outline of the review's structure is likely
to become apparent.
Remember, structured writing is good writing.
Here's a few DOs and DON'Ts of the Summarizing stage
DO read through the text and extract the main points expressed by the author.
DO figure out a structure for your review.
DO look up any ideas or concepts that you are uncertain about.
DON'T rush into writing without proper structure.
Outline
Writing tends to be a very personal experience, and creating an article review is no different.
This is your interpretation of the author's views.
You probably have your own opinions and thoughts on the subject being discussed, and you need
to use these to make your own points in the upcoming review.
But for now, write a short paragraph or two about the main points of the article, and
whatever facts were used to support them.
Now remember, this is just an outline of the main arguments laid out in the article.
The outline should not include your own views or opinions.
Also, don't waste time on heavy editing of your text.
There will be time for that later.
The outline will help you decide which parts of the article you wish to focus on when writing
your review.
It's good practice to read through the outline and remove any bits that may be extra, irrelevant,
or simply unnecessary.
A lean outline will be conducive to a lean review.
A few DOs and DON'Ts of the Write an outline stage
DO write the article's main points.
DO use short paragraphs for your outline.
DO remove unnecessary stuff.
DON'T write your own views or opinions yet.
DON'T spend time editing the outline.
Write
This is where things get exciting.
The actual process of writing your article review begins here.
But first, let's recap:
By now, you understand what the article is about,
you have summarized the main points, and you have created an outline in your own
words.
With these points in mind, it is time to start writing your review.
Most article reviews follow a set structure.
Always remember the mantra, structured writing is good writing.
Title Citation
Introduction Summary
Critique Closing statement.
Title
Every review begins with a Title.
A good, relevant title is incredibly important to create a positive first impression.
The title should accurately convey what the focus of the review is.
When you see the right title on the paper, or computer screen, things become a lot easier.
Try to keep the title as short and relevant as possible.
Overly long-winded titles will confuse the audience.
Remember
DO write a good, relevant title.
DON'T write an overly long title.
Citation
Cite the article being discussed, right after the article, and the author.
Imagine the article is about the usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics in American hospitals,
by John Smith.
The citation should reflect the Author, the article's original title, where the article
was first published, date, and whatever form it was published in, 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 edition, print
This citation offers all the key points of information reflected above.
Introduction
Use the introduction to mention the main points of the article, and briefly discuss the themes
and arguments that the author used to make his claims.
Keep the introduction brief.
It should only account for between 10-20 percent of the entire length of the review.
And always write in the third person.
We recommend that you start by identifying the title AND the author of the original piece.
This reinforces the introduction of the topic.
In our example, you could identify the article as:
The article 'Usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics' written by John Smith, first appeared in the
March 2018 print edition of the US Medical Journal."
This sentence accurately reflects the name of the article, the author, and where the
piece first appeared.
It may seem slightly redundant, since the citation contains pretty much the same information,
but it's good to reinforce it.
Trust us, it will help to get the review going.
Remember
DO use short paragraphs for your introduction.
DO identify the title and author of the original piece.
DO mention the article's main points.
DO write in the third person.
DON'T write an overly long introduction.
DON'T use first-person writing.
Summary
Remember when you summarized the article earlier?
The ideas and points you extracted come into play at this point.
Writing in your own words, state the article's main points and ideas, and their supporting
facts.
Refer to your notes, or the highlights you made earlier.
This summary may be long, depending on how many ideas and points were covered by the
author.
Use as many paragraphs as you need to cover all the important stuff.
You can include direct quotes from the author, but don't overdo this.
The summary should capture all of the article's key points and ideas.
Be accurate in your description of the author's reflection.
DO use your summary points from early.
DO use your own words.
DO cover ALL the main points.
DON'T include too many quotes from the author.
Critique
The critique -YOUR critique- is the crux of the review.
This is your time to shine.
The critique is the core of the whole review.
Use the critique to talk about the author's opinions on the topic, and how well they addressed
the issues.
This part is bound to be lengthy, but that's ok.
You need sufficient space to make your voice heard.
The critique should evaluate how much of a contribution the article made to its chosen field,
if any, gauge the validity of the claims, and identify whether any biases exist.
Now, you may agree or disagree with what the author said, but either way, you need to support
your critique with well-researched facts and figures, if necessary.
In short, you're analyzing the article's relevance, and explaining why you believe it's significant,
or why it isn't.
DO write a sufficiently long critique.
DO evaluate the author's contribution.
DO support your claims with facts and figures.
DON'T use the critique to promote your own agenda.
Closing statement
Ending the review with the critique will feel like there's something missing, and that's
not a good thing.
Always end your article reviews with a closing statement.
A brief paragraph including the main points of the article, plus your own opinions on
the matter, should suffice.
And as with the introduction, keep it short.
The closing statement should not account for more than 10% of the entire review.
In our example about the narrow-spectrum antibiotics, a good closing statement would be:
"This review evaluated the article 'Usage of narrow-spectrum antibiotics in American
hospitals' by John Smith.
Though crucial in the fight against positively identified disease, the usage of these antibiotics
still varies greatly from one institution to another.
There appears to be no standardized methodology or procedures for their storage either, which
leads to shorter-than-intended shelf life in many cases."
Proofread
All the writing is done.
Time to relax, right?
Wrong.
Your text might be written, but it's far from ready to be let out into the wild.
Time for a recap:
Remember to follow these key points for a perfectly structured article review:
Understand, Summarize, Outline, Write, and Proofread.
To understand the article: Pick a topic that interests you.
Look at the article's Abstract.
To summarize the article: Read through the text and extract the author’s
main points.
Figure out a structure for your review.
Look up any ideas or concepts that you are uncertain about.
To outline the article: Write the article's main points.
Use short paragraphs for your outline.
Remove unnecessary stuff.
When writing, structure it like this: Title;
Citation; Introduction;
Summary; Critique;
Closing statement.
Make your title relevant.
To cite your sources properly, check out our channel for videos on proper citation.
When writing an introduction: Use short paragraphs.
Identify the title and author of the original piece.
Mention the article's main points.
And write in the third person.
When writing a summary: Use your own words and cover all the main
points.
When writing a critique: Make it long, evaluate what the author contributed,
and provide proof for everything you state.
Always end article review with a short closing statement.
And finally: Proofread!
And that's it.
We hope you enjoyed the video, and remember to subscribe to our channel.
You will write better with Essaypro.