Article Review

What is an article review?

One of the basic school requirements is writing an article review
- An article review gives essential information about an article
(e.g., from newspaper, magazines, academic journals) and provides an
evaluation or a critical analysis of it.
- This type of academic writing is usually required in courses in
the Humanities such as literature, history, and philosophy, and in the
Social Sciences such as sociology, psychology, and political science.
How do you make an Article Review?
1) Read the Material
• Before you can begin writing an article critique, you have to read and understand
the material first. Academic materials demand a different way of reading from
those which require mere pleasure reading. The material that you will review or
critique would require you to read actively, intelligently, and critically. You have
to go beyond the content of the material.
• As you read, take down notes. Write down the following elements which will be
useful in your review : title; main ideas or arguments, and presentation of ideas;
author’s writing style and language; and author’s purpose.
• Formulate questions about the content. These questions may be about concepts
that you do not fully understand or you want to elaborate later on in your
analysis.
• Read the material more than once for an in-depth understanding of what the
author is trying to convey.
2) Write the Review or Critique Paper
• Your paper should give an informed analysis of the material. It should
be more than just a summary of the article.
• Be mindful of the structure of your review. Like all essays, an article
critique has an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Introduction
As a starting point for your article critique, use the notes that you have
taken down while you were critically reading the material. Be guided by the
following when writing the introduction:
- Know the context or information in which the material was written—
author’s background (i.e., life, culture, and beliefs); and social, economic, or
political conditions in which the material was produced.
- Mention the title of the material, year or date of publication, and
author’s name.
- State the main argument or author’s purpose of the material.
- Come up with a thesis statement which will indicate what your
evaluation of the material will be. Are you for or against the main argument?
- Briefly summarize the main points of the article.
Body
This is the analysis and evaluation part of the review. Here are some
questions that can help in your critical evaluation of the material.

When writing an article review:

- Are the ideas presented clear and convincing? What pieces of
evidence are used to support the author’s ideas? Are they valid or accurate?
- Is the purpose of the paper achieved? If yes, how? If no, why not?
- What is the overall structure of the article? Are the ideas logically
organized and adequately developed?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article?
- What further issues does the article raise?
- Does the article contribute to your knowledge or understanding of a
particular concept or topic? How is it helpful to other works in its discipline
or to works of related topic?
Conclusion
This is a brief summary of your overall evaluation of the material.

You may include here the main reasons, stated in the body
paragraphs, why you agree or disagree with the author.

After writing the review or critique, do not forget to cite the

references you used for your paper. Ask your teacher which style guide
or citation format to use.
 Functional Article Review: Introduction
Elements
: tells the Article Review:
reader which article
you are reviewing and
provides referencing
details.

Summarizes for the

reader the main
points and goals of the
. It can be said to be an extended argument with gaping
article. holes. Thompson makes it all sound like a new race of human beings
will descend on our lonely planet.

tells the
reader about your
overall assessment of
the article
Reference: Retrieved from Article Review Samples: “Roles of Sensitive Men.” https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/reviews/article/roles-of-sensitive-men-by-gerald-
thompson.html
 Functional Article Review: Body
Elements

sums up
for the reader an .
aspect of the article
(in this example, the
.
author’s examples in
his discussion).

He is only a
Evaluates product of the American music industry that has designed him to be
this aspect of the certain way to be sold to a specific audience, which requires him to
article (here the act in a manner that would make others think he is sensitive. This is
student evaluates not actual sensitivity, but planned, forced sensitivity.
the soundness of
the author’s criteria.

Reference: Retrieved from University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Accessed March 30,

2016. http://www.uwlax.edu/uploadedFiles/Academics/Departments/Political_Science_and_Public_Admin/journal_article_
 Functional Article Review: Conclusion
Elements

summarizes for the

reader the main
points made in the
Review stage in
.
terms of your
evaluation of each The article “Roles of Sensitive Men” has a few merits, but is mostly
aspect. a gaffe that proposes a future that is unlikely to happen. I give credit
to the author for a unique take on the future of our economic and
social standing, yet I would warn readers to read the article with an
examining mind. In my perspective, there are many flaws inherent in
tells the reader your the text.
overall assessment
of the article.

Reference: Retrieved from University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Accessed March 30,

2016. http://www.uwlax.edu/uploadedFiles/Academics/Departments/Political_Science_and_Public_Admin/journal_article_
Summary
An article review is more than just a summary of an article. It
gives essential information about an article (e.g., from a newspaper,
magazine, academic journal) and provides an evaluation or critical
analysis of the article. Like other essays, it has an introduction, body,
and conclusion.
References
Article review. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/documents/Article%
20review%20final.pdf
Article review/critique. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://
www.ufv.ca/writing_centre/
Article review samples. Retrieved from
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/reviews/
article/
Writing a Book Review or an Article Critique. Retrieved from
https://link.quipper.com/en/organizations/55641842ab63
a7752c0070c7/curriculum#curriculum on September 19,
2017.