Charles Givens
What is an article review?
As with any kind of review, an article review involves critical analysis and evaluation of an article written by someone else. It is not just merely a summary; rather it is quite involving and requires deep assessment and analysis of the article or piece of literature you are working with.
When one undertakes to carry out an article review they have to keep an open mind in order to give an unbiased review. All that is required of you when you are writing an article review is a clear understanding and presentation in summary of the topic, subject matter, and arguments presented in the article.
Having a clear understanding of what an article review involves is therefore vital before you start working on it. This is the very first step in writing an article review.
Steps to writing an article review
- Read the article carefully. You need to understand the material you are working with clearly. My advice and I have found that it has worked for me over the years, is for you to read the article more than once.
- Go through various samples of article reviews. This will give you a general idea of what you should include in your review. In fact, look through reviews that have been done in the same field of study. It will provide more information that you can include in your study. However, be careful not to copy-paste and paraphrase a review that has already been done.
- Take notes. It is worth mentioning that as you read the article you need to take notes. Your notes should be short but clear. Write down phrases or words you might need to look up later. Write down excerpts that you might want to include in your review. Takedown as many notes as you can because you will need all the information you can get to write your review.
- Carry out further research. It is not enough just to work with the material contained in the article you are working with. Take it a step further and collect more information related to the article you are reviewing. If say for example the article is dealing with ‘malpractice in hospitals’, you need to conduct further research on this subject. Go beyond what the writer of the article has covered. If possible visit some hospitals and conduct interviews with the staff to get more information.
- First draft. When you have read your article and done all your research it is now time to sit down and come up with a first draft. As you write keep in mind the format used to write an article review. The following is an example of a format you can use when writing your article review.
- Title
- Abstract. Include the main points of your review.
- Introduction. The first paragraph of your review. It is vital that your introduction is strong and engaging, grabbing the reader’s attention right from the start.
- The body. This is where you will present your arguments, where you will provide a detailed analysis of the article. Your critique and evaluation of the themes contained in the review will also be addressed in this part. Basically, this is the part of your essay where you will include the bulk of information you have gathered for your article review. Just be keen and divide this information into workable paragraphs.
- Conclusion. The conclusion of your article review should be just as strong as your introduction. Give a brief summary of the points you highlighted in the review.
- List of citations. Remember to cite any other sources you used in writing your article review.
- Edit and proofread your work.
- Write the final draft.
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How to write a book review
Writing a book review is part and parcel of any student’s life. A book review requires you to read and critically analyze every component of the book. The very basis of a book review is for you to present your understanding of all these components and how they contribute to the overall message being relayed by the writer.
A common misconception that most students have is that a book review is simply a summary. This is hardly the case because a book review includes a critical discussion and arguments of the plot, themes, and ideas presented in the book.
It is important to note that a book report is not a book review. The major difference between the two is that a book report is a summary of the book you have been assigned to read whereas a book review involves a more detailed and in-depth analysis of a book.
Being a professional writer, I have had an opportunity to assist a number of students to write exceptional book reviews. Allow me to share my insights on how to write a book review that will earn you top grades.
- READ THE BOOK
This might seem so obvious to some people, but you may be surprised at how many students skip this part. Take time to actually read the whole book and not just skim through it, if possible, read it twice. Reading the whole book gives you a chance to get all the information you need. It allows you to form your own opinion of the characters, the plot and the themes highlighted in the book. This information will be vital when you are writing your book review.
- NOTES
As you read the book you will be writing your review on, be sure to take notes. This is important because the notes will guide you when you sit down to write your book review. Make notes of only the important parts of the book and ensure that the notes are detailed enough to give you enough information when writing the book review.
- EXTRAS
It is always a good idea to go the extra mile when doing anything. The same applies to your book review. If you are able to read other books by the same author, it is advisable to do so. This will give you an insight as to who the author is; his or her background, writing style, and similar themes they address in those other books. It may not seem important, but this information will be of major help to you when writing your book review.
- FIRST DRAFT
As a writer, my advice to anyone undertaking any form of writing is to always have the first draft. This is just a rough overview of how you want your book review to flow so avoid stressing too much about making it perfect. The important thing is for you to have a general outline of your ideas for the book review. Do not focus too much on grammatical errors and spelling mistakes at this point those can be corrected when you are editing your work.
- OUTLINE
As with all other written works, a great book review should have an outline. Before writing your book review read the instructions given at the beginning of the assignment. This is in case there is a specific outline you are required to use. However, if it is not included in the instructions, you can use the general outline that follows this order: Title, introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction will be a summary of your review. Most of the information in the book review will be contained in the body. Final remarks and sign off will make up the conclusion.
