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Writing an article review, which is also sometimes referred to as an article critique, is a special type of writing that involves reading an article and then providing the reader with your personal take on its content. In general, article review essays should start with a heading that includes a citation of the sources that are being reviewed.
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Summary Guidelines
The first paragraph, which is the introduction to the article review, should provide a summary of the article highlights. This summary should not provide every last detail about the article being reviewed. Rather, it should only discuss the most important details. If you find yourself carrying on or needing more than one paragraph to write your summary, you need to revisit the paragraph and find ways to trim down the length of your summary.
Significance of the Article
Following the brief summary of your article, you will then need to explain why the article is significant. Questions you should ask yourself when writing these paragraphs include:
- Does the article fill a void within the literature that already exists on the topic?
- Does the article contain any information that would be considered “breakthrough” information?
- Will the information contained within this article cause other people in the field to change their ideas about the subject matter or does it simply revisit information that is already known in the field?
Personal Evaluation
In your final paragraphs, you will need to present your personal evaluation of the article. Some questions you should ask yourself in order to come up with your personal evaluation include whether or not the article is well written and clear. You should also consider whether or not any information was missing and if more research is needed on the topic.
Connecting to Course Material
If you are writing the article review for a class, try to connect the article to organizational and industrial experience and try to connect the content of the article to information that you have been studying in your course.
Reflective Considerations
As you write your article review, keep in mind that you are doing more than just a book report. Rather than focus on telling what the article was about, your article review should reflect your personal opinions on the article as well as how it affects you or the field in which it was written.
Final Review
After you have finished writing your article review, be sure to go back and re-read it. This way, you will be able to look at it with a fresh set of eyes and you may notice errors that you had not previously noticed.
Outline for Article Review
Please include the following categories in your article review:
- Full Bibliographic Reference
- Introduction: Objectives, Article Domain, Audience, Journal and Conceptual/Empirical Classification
- Very Brief Summary
- Results
- Contributions
- Foundation
- Synthesis with other materials
- Analysis & Additional Analysis
- General Critique
- Further Critique of a Conceptual Article -or- Further Critique of an Empirical Article
- Issues (in your opinion).
Annotated Bibliography Overview
Questions, Annotated Bibliography, Citation Analysis, Appendix
Full Bibliographic Reference
- State the full bibliographic reference for the article you are reviewing (authors, title, journal name, volume, issue, year, page numbers, etc.). Important: this is not the bibliography listed at the end of the article, rather the citation of the article itself!
Introduction: Objectives, Article Domain, and Classification
- Paragraph 1: State the objectives (goals or purpose) of the article. What is the article’s domain (topic area)?
Paragraph 2: State whether the article is “conceptual” or “empirical,” and why you believe it is so.
Conceptual vs. Empirical Articles
Empirical articles and conceptual articles have similar objectives: to substantiate an argument proposed by the author. Explanation of what empirical and conceptual articles entail.
Brief Summary
- Summary guidelines:
Paragraph 1: What is the problem or opportunity being addressed?
Paragraph 2: Which solution is proposed?
Paragraph 3: What evidence supports this solution? (Include details about empirical studies if applicable)
Results
- Very briefly summarize the important points (observations, conclusions, findings) in the article.
Contributions
- An article’s “contribution” to the research field. Discuss the different ways an article can contribute. Evaluate the contributions of the article, its relevance, and its originality.
Foundation
- Discuss the theoretical foundations the article builds upon, if any. Reference/cite the foundational works, and distinguish them from supporting works.
Note on Foundation
Clarification on what to do if the article does not build upon any foundational research.
By structuring the content under these headers, you make it easier for readers to follow your analysis and understand the different elements you are covering in your review.
Synthesis with Class Materials
- Discuss what “synthesis” means and explain how to relate the article to the class materials. Discuss the article’s approach and results through the lens of frameworks and models studied in class. Mention the depth of your synthesis comparison.
Note on Mandatory Synthesis
Clarification that the synthesis has to be done and won’t be found in the article itself.
Analysis & Additional Analysis
- Clarify that “Analysis” is different from “General Critique.” Discuss what has changed since the article was published, and how its lessons still apply. Mention whether its issues have been resolved.
Optional Additional Analysis
Discuss the option to add your own additional analysis, separate from the author’s. Provide guidelines for this section.
General Critique
- Instructions for critiquing the article’s research and presentation. Provide a list of questions and factors to consider, such as the article’s foundation, approach, execution, results, and shortcomings.
Critique Justification
Explain how to justify each critique point in detail. Offer questions to guide this justification.
Further Critique for Conceptual Articles
9.1. Specific critique guidelines for conceptual articles. Discuss the need for examining logical consistency and other elements unique to conceptual articles.
Logical Consistency
Discuss whether the article has logical consistency, and if not, whether the authors have acknowledged and explained the inconsistencies.
By organizing your content under these headers, you’ll make it easier for your audience to navigate through your article review. Each section provides specific instructions or considerations, guiding the reviewer in what to focus on.
Coherence in Article
- Discussion around whether the article makes sense, has a coherent argument, and anticipates rival arguments.
Substance of the Article
- Evaluate the depth of the article’s argument and its contribution to the existing body of work.
Focus and Target Audience
- Assess whether the article has a well-defined target audience and is written at an appropriate level.
Further Critique of Empirical Articles (Specific)
9.2. Overview of how to critique empirical articles, focusing on the strength of the empirical evidence.
Clarity
- Evaluate the clarity of the article’s purpose, argument, and major research questions.
Theoretical Grounding
- Discuss whether the argument is grounded in theory and if the need for new theory is established.
Design of Research Investigation
- Critique the design of the empirical study and address its validity.
Measurement
- Discuss the types of measurements used in the study and their adequacy.
Data Analysis
- Evaluate the appropriateness of the data analysis methods used.
Discussion and Conclusions
- Assess the validity of the article’s conclusions based on the empirical data.
Biases
- Discuss the potential biases present in the research design or interpretation of the results.
Issues as Stated by the Author
- Summarize and discuss unresolved questions or issues mentioned by the author.
Issues in Your Opinion
- List and discuss unresolved issues or questions that you see as important.
Thought-Provoking Questions
- Provide your own insightful questions that arise from reading the article.
Annotated Bibliography
- List full bibliographic references for all cited materials, along with annotations explaining them.
Citation Analysis Appendix
- Discuss the citations of the article, offering an analysis of who has cited it and how.
By breaking down the text into these headers, you can organize the information in a way that guides the reader through each component of the article review process.
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