Article Review Assignment –  Best Tips on How to Ace it 

An article review assignment is a type of assignment that involves analyzing, evaluating, and assessing a writer’s article. Similarly, It also entails understanding the article’s central theme, supporting arguments, main points, and developing implications for future research. 

Students get tested on article reviews to introduce them to experts in a particular field test their research, analytical and critical thinking skills. It also helps them improve their grammar, facilitates conscience writing, and enables them to see other people’s points of view and perspectives. Therefore, this allows them to get rid of personal biases. 

If you are looking forward to writing an excellent article review assignment, this article will be of great help to you. Read on. 

Differences Between A Research Article and A Review Article

Similarities

A research article is a paper that reports the methods and findings of original research done by an author. Therefore, this is why it is referred to as a primary source. The results may be from experiments, surveys, or interviews. Additionally, a research article assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal.

On the other hand, a review article is a piece of work that focuses on what other articles have written. It does not report on original research; hence, a secondary source. The importance of review articles is that they propel new research directions and support existing theories. These types of articles are written for a general audience, making them easier to read, unlike research articles written at an advanced professional level. 

Research and a review article are similar in that both are written by subject experts such as scientists or researchers. And both can be published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. 

Differences

	Research Article	Review Article
Definition	A research article reports on methods and findings of original research done by an author.	A review article reports on what has already been published and only summarizes the study.
What is it based on?	It is based on original research done by the author.	It is based on already published journals and articles.
How to write?	The author formulates a question, collects raw data, and conducts a study. The research will then be based on the findings and conclusions.	The author selects a topic then summarizes the existing literature on the subject.
The purpose	Its purpose is to contribute to developing knowledge in a field of study, gather evidence for theories, and assess its contribution in a particular area.	Its purpose is to suggest new research directions, strengthen support for existing theories, and identify patterns among existing research studies.
Length	It depends on the word count specified by the journal but ranges between 3000 and 5000 words. Some research articles can be as long as 12000 words.	Review articles range between 3000 to 6000 words. A shorter or a longer review paper might get published in some cases.

Types of Review 

There are different types of article review, these include; 

Journal Article Review 

A journal article review critiques a publication by evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. Here, you need to provide facts from the article to support your thoughts and opinions. Similarly, you can discuss the value of the publication or what made it stand out. 

Research Article Review

A research article review is different from a journal article review in that it evaluates the research methods used in the study. Similarly, It also compares them to other research studies. This type of review can be challenging because it requires you to be a researcher to decide whether the author did an excellent job or not. 

Science Article Review

This is a type of review that evaluates publications in the realm of science. That is why the type of research provides detailed background information for better understanding. 

Literature Review

A literature review involves analyzing a book of literature, finding themes or areas of conflict. It can also entail criticizing a book, finding its strengths and weaknesses, gaps, or areas of biasness. Here, all facts and arguments are based on the work you are reviewing. 

Article Review Outline 

An article review outline is important because it makes your writing process easier and saves a lot of time. Having an outline, i.e., knowing what your key points are or major contributions of the paper, will give you a smooth flow of work and a good transition from one paragraph to the other. Similarly, it will keep your work organized and allow you to stick only to the relevant information. Remember, just like any other paper; an article review assignment must follow the basic structure of an introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Questions to Help You Write An Outstanding Outline

What does the article set out to do or prove?

This is an important question since it is the basis of your review. It will give you an objective for your paper.

Are the main ideas clear and defined?

If the main ideas are unclear and undefined, you will need to identify them. This will make your writing process easier and help you stick only to the relevant points.

How substantial is the evidence?

Has the author provided enough evidence in their article? Are there gaps, unanswered questions, or inconsistencies identified after reading the piece? If so, ensure to include them in the article review. 

Where does the article fit in its specific field?

Identify where the article review fits and its contribution to a particular field of study. This will help you address the gaps identified in the study. 

Does it provide new knowledge on the topic?

Asking yourself this question will enable you to determine the relevance, accuracy of the article review, and its significance to existing work. 

What are the central theories and assumptions?

Determining central theories and assumptions allow you to form arguments better as well as write a comprehensible article review. 

Is the writer conclusive at getting their point across?

How transparent, clear, or concise is the article? Is their language, style, or expression comprehensible? This will help you write a good critique. 

Here are components of the outline:

Article Review Pre-Title Page 

In this segment, state the type of article being reviewed, the title of the publication, page references, all the authors who contributed to it, the author’s affiliations, i.e., position, department, institute, city, state, country, and email ID.

Running head

A running head is an abbreviated version of a paper’s title. It appears at the top of the page together with the page number. A running head is required for professional manuscripts intending to be published and is usually less than 40 characters. 

Summary page

A summary page requires you to give a summary of the article. Here, provide the background information, explain why the work was done, and summarize the results. Remember, do not give any citations or references in this segment.

Consequently, It should have a maximum of 800 words. 

Article Review Assignment Format

Article Review Introduction

The primary purpose of an introduction is to let the reader know what your review entails. Here, you have to define the central themes of the article, arguments, and the claims of the author.

Similarly, you need to mention the thesis of your review since it may not be evident in the article. 

Remember that an introduction should not be used in the first person (I). You should use the third person, either he or she. Additionally, it needs to be written in a formal academic style. The introduction should not be long since everything will be discussed in the body, so have at least one paragraph. It is important to note that, you should end the introduction with a thesis statement that addresses the issues you will discuss.

Article Review Body 

The body is usually the most critical part of a paper. Here, you should talk about the main points of every section and explain if the evidence provided is enough or meaningful. An article review body allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a paper, gaps identified, or any bias. Remember, you need to back up your critique with evidence from the article. 

Consequently, each paragraph in the body needs to talk about a different topic to keep your work more organized. It’s important to note that the length of the body depends on the instructor’s requirements or the main points of discussion. 

Article Review Conclusion 

This segment requires you to summarize the article’s content, including its findings, critical points of your piece, and the critique. You should conclude the review by providing the article’s contribution to existing literature, i.e., was it worth reading? Therefore, do not introduce new concepts or arguments in the conclusion. You are only supposed to highlight what you have discussed in the article. Consequently, a conclusion should not be more than one paragraph. 

Article Review Formatting 

You can use different formats for your article review assignment. Some of them are; 

APA Formatting

Writing an article review assignment in this format requires you to cite your sources in the following format; 

Journal

1. Use the authors last name 
2. First and middle initial 
3. The year of publication
4. The title of the publication 
5. Title of the journal 
6. Volume or issue number
7. Page 9s0 number

Newspaper 

1. Authors last name 
2. First and middle initial
3. Date of the publication (Year, Month, Date of publication)
4. Title of the publication
5. Newspaper title 
6. Page(s) number

Website 

1. Author’s last name 
2. First and middle initials 
3. Date of the publication (year, month, date of the publication)
4. Article title 
5. Retrieved from (link)

MLA Formating

In MLA format, this is how you cite your sources; 

Journal

1. Last, First, M.;
2. Title of the publication
3. Journal title series volume
4. Issue and the year it was published 
5. Page(s)
6. Database name 
7. Web address 
8. Date it was accessed (date, month, year)

Newspaper

1. Last, First, M.;
2. Title of the publication
3. Newspaper title 
4. City
5. Date of the publication (date, month, year)
6. Page(s)
7. Print

Website 

1. Last, First, Middle Initial 
2. Title of the publication
3. Website title 
4. Website publisher 
5. Date of the publication (date, month, year)
6. Date of assessment  (date, month, year)

Writing An Article Review

Write the Title

Before you come up with a title, you need to brainstorm to formulate different titles and settle on the best one. It must be relevant and reflect the content of your article review assignment. Your title can either be descriptive, declarative, or interrogative. A descriptive title describes the subject or topic of the article while a declarative title, also known as an informative title not only describes the topic, but also states the main conclusion, or findings of the study. On the other hand, an interrogative title is written as a question. 

Article Citation 

Once you have come up with a title, you need to cite it depending on the citation provided by your instructor. For example, an article citation in the MLA format will have;

Author’s last and first name. “The title of the article.” Journal’s title and issue(publication date): page(s). Print

i.e. 

Abraham John. “The World of Dreams.” Virginia Quarterly 60.2(1991): 125-67. Print.

Article Identification

Article identification involves including the identification of the reviewed article. This includes; the title of the article, author, title of the journal, and year of publication. Remember, all these must appear in the first paragraph of the paper. 

For example; The report “ Poverty increases school drop-outs,” was written by Brian Faith – a Health officer – in 2000.

Introduction 

An introduction lets the reader know what the article review assignment entails. It should contain the thesis of your review, a summary of the main points of the article, the positive aspects, and facts presented in the publication. Lastly, it should also critique the publication, including contradictions, identified gaps, and unanswered questions. 

Summarize The Article 

A summary of an article review assignment talks about the key or central arguments discussed by the author. It also includes any relevant facts and findings from the article. Similarly, you should include the author’s conclusion in this segment. Therefore, this can be done in several paragraphs depending on the length given by the instructor. Remember to sparingly use direct quotes from the author and write the summary in your own words. 

Critique The Article 

A good article review involves presenting the strengths and weaknesses found in the article. Answer questions like, were the arguments sensible or valuable? Were there any prejudices? Talk about any gaps and contradictions and what further research could be made. Consequently, talk about whether you agree or disagree with the author’s assertions. You need to do this while backing up your arguments with evidence from the article or theories relevant to that particular field of study.

Write The Conclusion 

Summarize all the critical points, findings, and your article critique. Talk about the accuracy, validity, and relevance of the article review. Similarly, you should also present suggestions for future research in the field. It is important to note that you should not introduce any new concepts in the conclusion, only what you have discussed in the article review assignment.

Edit and Proofread 

To avoid any grammatical errors, edit and proofread your paper. Additionally, you can give someone to proofread it for you or use a spell checker to get a second opinion from an expert. 

Tips to Consider During an Article Review Assignment 

Read The Work Being Reviewed Prior

To write a good article review you need to read the work in order to understand its themes and arguments clearly. This will enable you to communicate effectively and have valid arguments. Similarly, it will also help you discuss all the main points and arguments of the paper. 

Highlight The Key Points

While writing the outline, you’ll need to highlight the critical points of the article, this will make your writing process more manageable. It will also help you stick only to the relevant main points and save you a lot of time. 

Use Evidence From Your Sources

To have a comprehensive article review assignment, you need to back up your arguments with sources from the article or in the same field of study. This is best done using direct quotations. 

Use Direct Quotations Sparingly

Only use direct quotations where necessary. Because their main aim is to act as evidence and support your arguments. The purpose of an article review assignment is to assess and evaluate someone else’s work, so most of the work should be composed of the main concepts, arguments, and contributions of the paper.

Analyze The Article Adequately

To write a good article review assignment, you need to analyze the article adequately and understand it. This way, you will develop an extensive article that is free of any false or misleading information.

Use A Parenthetical Citation To Avoid Plagiarism

Parenthetical citations are citations to sources that appear in the text of your paper. Moreover, this lets the reader know where the information is coming from. 

Conclusion 

To write a good article review assignment, the most important thing is to create an outline for your work and follow the format as discussed in the article; an introduction, body, and conclusion. Remember to back up your arguments with evidence from the article, use the right article identification, and most importantly have an outline before writing the article review assignment. Similarly, if you have been looking for expert help, look no further. Finally, remember to contact us today if you are struggling and let experts do the heavy lifting for you.