what is article review means

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Education and Communications
Critical Reviews

How to Write an Article Review

Last Updated: September 8, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,088,764 times.

An article review is both a summary and an evaluation of another writer's article. Teachers often assign article reviews to introduce students to the work of experts in the field. Experts also are often asked to review the work of other professionals. Understanding the main points and arguments of the article is essential for an accurate summation. Logical evaluation of the article's main theme, supporting arguments, and implications for further research is an important element of a review . Here are a few guidelines for writing an article review.

Education specialist Alexander Peterman recommends: "In the case of a review, your objective should be to reflect on the effectiveness of what has already been written, rather than writing to inform your audience about a subject."

Things You Should Know

Read the article very closely, and then take time to reflect on your evaluation. Consider whether the article effectively achieves what it set out to.
Write out a full article review by completing your intro, summary, evaluation, and conclusion. Don't forget to add a title, too!
Proofread your review for mistakes (like grammar and usage), while also cutting down on needless information. [1] X Research source

Preparing to Write Your Review

Step 1 Understand what an article review is.

Article reviews present more than just an opinion. You will engage with the text to create a response to the scholarly writer's ideas. You will respond to and use ideas, theories, and research from your studies. Your critique of the article will be based on proof and your own thoughtful reasoning.
An article review only responds to the author's research. It typically does not provide any new research. However, if you are correcting misleading or otherwise incorrect points, some new data may be presented.
An article review both summarizes and evaluates the article.

Step 2 Think about the organization of the review article.

Summarize the article. Focus on the important points, claims, and information.
Discuss the positive aspects of the article. Think about what the author does well, good points she makes, and insightful observations.
Identify contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the text. Determine if there is enough data or research included to support the author's claims. Find any unanswered questions left in the article.

Make note of words or issues you don't understand and questions you have.
Look up terms or concepts you are unfamiliar with, so you can fully understand the article. Read about concepts in-depth to make sure you understand their full context.

Pay careful attention to the meaning of the article. Make sure you fully understand the article. The only way to write a good article review is to understand the article.

With either method, make an outline of the main points made in the article and the supporting research or arguments. It is strictly a restatement of the main points of the article and does not include your opinions.
After putting the article in your own words, decide which parts of the article you want to discuss in your review. You can focus on the theoretical approach, the content, the presentation or interpretation of evidence, or the style. You will always discuss the main issues of the article, but you can sometimes also focus on certain aspects. This comes in handy if you want to focus the review towards the content of a course.
Review the summary outline to eliminate unnecessary items. Erase or cross out the less important arguments or supplemental information. Your revised summary can serve as the basis for the summary you provide at the beginning of your review.

Step 6 Write an outline of your evaluation.

What does the article set out to do?
What is the theoretical framework or assumptions?
Are the central concepts clearly defined?
How adequate is the evidence?
How does the article fit into the literature and field?
Does it advance the knowledge of the subject?
How clear is the author's writing? Don't: include superficial opinions or your personal reaction. Do: pay attention to your biases, so you can overcome them.

Writing the Article Review

For example, in MLA , a citation may look like: Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise ." Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127-53. Print. [10] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

For example: The article, "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS," was written by Anthony Zimmerman, a Catholic priest.

Your introduction should only be 10-25% of your review.
End the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should address the above issues. For example: Although the author has some good points, his article is biased and contains some misinterpretation of data from others’ analysis of the effectiveness of the condom.

Use direct quotes from the author sparingly.
Review the summary you have written. Read over your summary many times to ensure that your words are an accurate description of the author's article.

Support your critique with evidence from the article or other texts.
The summary portion is very important for your critique. You must make the author's argument clear in the summary section for your evaluation to make sense.
Remember, this is not where you say if you liked the article or not. You are assessing the significance and relevance of the article.
Use a topic sentence and supportive arguments for each opinion. For example, you might address a particular strength in the first sentence of the opinion section, followed by several sentences elaborating on the significance of the point.

This should only be about 10% of your overall essay.
For example: This critical review has evaluated the article "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS" by Anthony Zimmerman. The arguments in the article show the presence of bias, prejudice, argumentative writing without supporting details, and misinformation. These points weaken the author’s arguments and reduce his credibility.

Make sure you have identified and discussed the 3-4 key issues in the article.

Sample Article Reviews

Expert Q&A

↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/grammarpunct/proofreading/
↑ https://libguides.cmich.edu/writinghelp/articlereview
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548566/
↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
↑ https://guides.library.queensu.ca/introduction-research/writing/critical
↑ https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/organization-and-structure/creating-an-outline.html
↑ https://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/titles.pdf
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_periodicals.html
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548565/
↑ https://writingcenter.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/593/2014/06/How_to_Summarize_a_Research_Article1.pdf
↑ https://www.uis.edu/learning-hub/writing-resources/handouts/learning-hub/how-to-review-a-journal-article
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

About This Article

If you have to write an article review, read through the original article closely, taking notes and highlighting important sections as you read. Next, rewrite the article in your own words, either in a long paragraph or as an outline. Open your article review by citing the article, then write an introduction which states the article’s thesis. Next, summarize the article, followed by your opinion about whether the article was clear, thorough, and useful. Finish with a paragraph that summarizes the main points of the article and your opinions. To learn more about what to include in your personal critique of the article, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write an Article Review: Template & Examples

An article review is an academic assignment that invites you to study a piece of academic research closely. Then, you should present its summary and critically evaluate it using the knowledge you’ve gained in class and during your independent study. If you get such a task at college or university, you shouldn’t confuse it with a response paper, which is a distinct assignment with other purposes (we’ll talk about it in detail below).

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In this article, prepared by Custom-Writing experts, you’ll find:

the intricacies of article review writing;
the difference between an article review and similar assignments;
a step-by-step algorithm for review composition;
a couple of samples to guide you throughout the writing process.

So, if you wish to study our article review example and discover helpful writing tips, keep reading.

❓ What Is an Article Review?

✍️ Writing Steps

📑 Article Review Format

🔗 references.

An article review is an academic paper that summarizes and critically evaluates the information presented in your selected article.

This image shows what an article review is.

The first thing you should note when approaching the task of an article review is that not every article is suitable for this assignment. Let’s have a look at the variety of articles to understand what you can choose from.

Popular Vs. Scholarly Articles

In most cases, you’ll be required to review a scholarly, peer-reviewed article – one composed in compliance with rigorous academic standards. Yet, the Web is also full of popular articles that don’t present original scientific value and shouldn’t be selected for a review.

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Not sure how to distinguish these two types? Here is a comparative table to help you out.

Article Review vs. Response Paper

Now, let’s consider the difference between an article review and a response paper:

If you’re assigned to critique a scholarly article , you will need to compose an article review .
If your subject of analysis is a popular article , you can respond to it with a well-crafted response paper .

The reason for such distinctions is the quality and structure of these two article types. Peer-reviewed, scholarly articles have clear-cut quality criteria, allowing you to conduct and present a structured assessment of the assigned material. Popular magazines have loose or non-existent quality criteria and don’t offer an opportunity for structured evaluation. So, they are only fit for a subjective response, in which you can summarize your reactions and emotions related to the reading material.

All in all, you can structure your response assignments as outlined in the tips below.

✍️ How to Write an Article Review: Step by Step

Here is a tried and tested algorithm for article review writing from our experts. We’ll consider only the critical review variety of this academic assignment. So, let’s get down to the stages you need to cover to get a stellar review.

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Read the Article

As with any reviews, reports, and critiques, you must first familiarize yourself with the assigned material. It’s impossible to review something you haven’t read, so set some time for close, careful reading of the article to identify:

Its topic.
Its type.
The author’s main points and message.
The arguments they use to prove their points.
The methodology they use to approach the subject.

In terms of research type , your article will usually belong to one of three types explained below.

Summarize the Article

Now that you’ve read the text and have a general impression of the content, it’s time to summarize it for your readers. Look into the article’s text closely to determine:

The thesis statement , or general message of the author.
Research question, purpose, and context of research.
Supporting points for the author’s assumptions and claims.
Major findings and supporting evidence.

As you study the article thoroughly, make notes on the margins or write these elements out on a sheet of paper. You can also apply a different technique: read the text section by section and formulate its gist in one phrase or sentence. Once you’re done, you’ll have a summary skeleton in front of you.

Evaluate the Article

The next step of review is content evaluation. Keep in mind that various research types will require a different set of review questions. Here is a complete list of evaluation points you can include.

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

Write the Text

After completing the critical review stage, it’s time to compose your article review.

The format of this assignment is standard – you will have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction should present your article and summarize its content. The body will contain a structured review according to all four dimensions covered in the previous section. The concluding part will typically recap all the main points you’ve identified during your assessment.

It is essential to note that an article review is, first of all, an academic assignment. Therefore, it should follow all rules and conventions of academic composition, such as:

No contractions . Don’t use short forms, such as “don’t,” “can’t,” “I’ll,” etc. in academic writing. You need to spell out all those words.
Formal language and style . Avoid conversational phrasing and words that you would naturally use in blog posts or informal communication. For example, don’t use words like “pretty,” “kind of,” and “like.”
Third-person narrative . Academic reviews should be written from the third-person point of view, avoiding statements like “I think,” “in my opinion,” and so on.
No conversational forms . You shouldn’t turn to your readers directly in the text by addressing them with the pronoun “you.” It’s vital to keep the narrative neutral and impersonal.
Proper abbreviation use . Consult the list of correct abbreviations , like “e.g.” or “i.e.,” for use in your academic writing. If you use informal abbreviations like “FYA” or “f.i.,” your professor will reduce the grade.
Complete sentences . Make sure your sentences contain the subject and the predicate; avoid shortened or sketch-form phrases suitable for a draft only.
No conjunctions at the beginning of a sentence . Remember the FANBOYS rule – don’t start a sentence with words like “and” or “but.” They often seem the right way to build a coherent narrative, but academic writing rules disfavor such usage.
No abbreviations or figures at the beginning of a sentence . Never start a sentence with a number — spell it out if you need to use it anyway. Besides, sentences should never begin with abbreviations like “e.g.”

Finally, a vital rule for an article review is properly formatting the citations. We’ll discuss the correct use of citation styles in the following section.

When composing an article review, keep these points in mind:

Start with a full reference to the reviewed article so the reader can locate it quickly.
Ensure correct formatting of in-text references.
Provide a complete list of used external sources on the last page of the review – your bibliographical entries .

You’ll need to understand the rules of your chosen citation style to meet all these requirements. Below, we’ll discuss the two most common referencing styles – APA and MLA.

Article Review in APA

When you need to compose an article review in the APA format , here is the general bibliographical entry format you should use for journal articles on your reference page:

Author’s last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year of Publication). Name of the article. Name of the Journal, volume (number), pp. #-#. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Horigian, V. E., Schmidt, R. D., & Feaster, D. J. (2021). Loneliness, mental health, and substance use among US young adults during COVID-19. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 53 (1), pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1836435

Your in-text citations should follow the author-date format like this:

If you paraphrase the source and mention the author in the text: According to Horigian et al. (2021), young adults experienced increased levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic.
If you paraphrase the source and don’t mention the author in the text: Young adults experienced increased levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic (Horigian et al., 2021).
If you quote the source: As Horigian et al. (2021) point out, there were “elevated levels of loneliness, depression, anxiety, alcohol use, and drug use among young adults during COVID-19” (p. 6).

Note that your in-text citations should include “et al.,” as in the examples above, if your article has 3 or more authors. If you have one or two authors, your in-text citations would look like this:

One author: “According to Smith (2020), depression is…” or “Depression is … (Smith, 2020).”
Two authors: “According to Smith and Brown (2020), anxiety means…” or “Anxiety means (Smith & Brown, 2020).”

Finally, in case you have to review a book or a website article, here are the general formats for citing these source types on your APA reference list.

Article Review in MLA

If your assignment requires MLA-format referencing, here’s the general format you should use for citing journal articles on your Works Cited page:

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of an Article.” Title of the Journal , vol. #, no. #, year, pp. #-#.

Horigian, Viviana E., et al. “Loneliness, Mental Health, and Substance Use Among US Young Adults During COVID-19.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs , vol. 53, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1-9.

In-text citations in the MLA format follow the author-page citation format and look like this:

According to Horigian et al., young adults experienced increased levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic (6).
Young adults experienced increased levels of loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic (Horigian et al. 6).

Like in APA, the abbreviation “et al.” is only needed in MLA if your article has 3 or more authors.

If you need to cite a book or a website page, here are the general MLA formats for these types of sources.

✅ Article Review Template

Here is a handy, universal article review template to help you move on with any review assignment. We’ve tried to make it as generic as possible to guide you in the academic process.

📝 Article Review Examples

The theory is good, but practice is even better. Thus, we’ve created three brief examples to show you how to write an article review. You can study the full-text samples by following the links.

📃 Men, Women, & Money

This article review examines a famous piece, “Men, Women & Money – How the Sexes Differ with Their Finances,” published by Amy Livingston in 2020. The author of this article claims that men generally spend more money than women. She makes this conclusion from a close analysis of gender-specific expenditures across five main categories: food, clothing, cars, entertainment, and general spending patterns. Livingston also looks at men’s approach to saving to argue that counter to the common perception of women’s light-hearted attitude to money, men are those who spend more on average.

📃 When and Why Nationalism Beats Globalism

This is a review of Jonathan Heidt’s 2016 article titled “When and Why Nationalism Beats Globalism,” written as an advocacy of right-wing populism rising in many Western states. The author illustrates the case with the election of Donald Trump as the US President and the rise of right-wing rhetoric in many Western countries. These examples show how nationalist sentiment represents a reaction to global immigration and a failure of globalization.

📃 Sleep Deprivation

This is a review of the American Heart Association’s article titled “The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation.” It discusses how the national organization concerned with the American population’s cardiovascular health links the lack of high-quality sleep to far-reaching health consequences. The organization’s experts reveal how a consistent lack of sleep leads to Alzheimer’s disease development, obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc.

✏️ Article Review FAQ

A high-quality article review should summarize the assigned article’s content and offer data-backed reactions and evaluations of its quality in terms of the article’s purpose, methodology, and data used to argue the main points. It should be detailed, comprehensive, objective, and evidence-based.

The purpose of writing a review is to allow students to reflect on research quality and showcase their critical thinking and evaluation skills. Students should exhibit their mastery of close reading of research publications and their unbiased assessment.

The content of your article review will be the same in any format, with the only difference in the assignment’s formatting before submission. Ensure you have a separate title page made according to APA standards and cite sources using the parenthetical author-date referencing format.

You need to take a closer look at various dimensions of an assigned article to compose a valuable review. Study the author’s object of analysis, the purpose of their research, the chosen method, data, and findings. Evaluate all these dimensions critically to see whether the author has achieved the initial goals. Finally, offer improvement recommendations to add a critique aspect to your paper.

Scientific Article Review: Duke University
Book and Article Reviews: William & Mary, Writing Resources Center
Sample Format for Reviewing a Journal Article: Boonshoft School of Medicine
Research Paper Review – Structure and Format Guidelines: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Article Review: University of Waterloo
Article Review: University of South Australia
How to Write a Journal Article Review: University of Newcastle Library Guides
Writing Help: The Article Review: Central Michigan University Libraries
Write a Critical Review of a Scientific Journal Article: McLaughlin Library
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Article Review

Article Review Writing: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

What is an Article Review?

An article review is a critical evaluation and analysis of a piece of writing, typically an academic or journalistic article.

It goes beyond summarizing the content; it involves an in-depth examination of the author's ideas, arguments, and methodologies.

The goal is to provide a well-rounded understanding of the article's strengths, weaknesses, and overall contribution to the field.

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Types of Article Reviews

Article reviews come in various forms, each serving a distinct purpose in the realm of academic or professional discourse. Understanding these types is crucial for tailoring your approach.

Here are some common types of article reviews:

Journal Article Review

A journal article review involves a thorough evaluation of scholarly articles published in academic journals.

It requires summarizing the article's key points, methodology, and findings, emphasizing its contributions to the academic field.

Take a look at the following example to help you understand better.

Example of Journal Article Review

Research Article Review

A research article review focuses on scrutinizing articles with a primary emphasis on research.

This type of review involves evaluating the research design, methodology, results, and their broader implications.

Discussions on the interpretation of results, limitations, and the article's overall contributions are key.

Here is a sample for you to get an idea.

Example of Research Article Review

Science Article Review

A science article review specifically addresses articles within scientific disciplines. It includes summarizing scientific concepts, hypotheses, and experimental methods.

The type of review assesses the reliability of the experimental design, and evaluates the author's interpretation of findings.

Take a look at the following example.

Example of Science Article Review

Critical Review

A critical review involves a balanced critique of a given article. It encompasses providing a comprehensive summary, highlighting key points, and engaging in a critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

To get a clearer idea of a critical review, take a look at this example.

Critical Review Example

Article Review Format

When crafting an article review in either APA or MLA format, it's crucial to adhere to the specific guidelines for citing sources.

Below are the bibliographical entries for different types of sources in both APA and MLA styles:

How to Write an Article Review? 10 Easy Steps

Writing an effective article review involves a systematic approach. Follow this step-by-step process to ensure a comprehensive and well-structured analysis.

Step 1: Understand the Assignment

Before diving into the review, carefully read and understand the assignment guidelines.

Pay attention to specific requirements, such as word count, formatting style (APA, MLA), and the aspects your instructor wants you to focus on.

Step 2: Read the Article Thoroughly

Begin by thoroughly reading the article. Take notes on key points, arguments, and evidence presented by the author.

Understand the author's main thesis and the context in which the article was written.

Step 3: Create a Summary

Summarize the main points of the article. Highlight the author's key arguments and findings.

While writing the summary ensure that you capture the essential elements of the article to provide context for your analysis.

Step 4: Identify the Author's Thesis

In this step, pinpoint the author's main thesis or central argument. Understand the purpose of the article and how the author supports their position.

This will serve as a foundation for your critique.

Step 5: Evaluate the Author's Evidence and Methodology

Examine the evidence provided by the author to support their thesis. Assess the reliability and validity of the methodology used.

Consider the sources, data collection methods, and any potential biases.

Step 6: Analyze the Author's Writing Style

Evaluate the author's writing style and how effectively they communicate their ideas.

Consider the clarity of the language, the organization of the content, and the overall persuasiveness of the article.

Step 7: Consider the Article's Contribution

Reflect on the article's contribution to its field of study. Analyze how it fits into the existing literature, its significance, and any potential implications for future research or applications.

Step 8: Write the Introduction

Craft an introduction that includes the article's title, author, publication date, and a brief overview.

State the purpose of your review and your thesis—the main point you'll be analyzing in your review.

Step 9: Develop the Body of the Review

Organize your review by addressing specific aspects such as the author's thesis, methodology, writing style, and the article's contribution.

Use clear paragraphs to structure your analysis logically.

Step 10: Conclude with a Summary and Evaluation

Summarize your main points and restate your overall assessment of the article.

Offer insights into its strengths and weaknesses, and conclude with any recommendations for improvement or suggestions for further research.

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Article Review Outline

Creating a well-organized outline is an essential part of writing a coherent and insightful article review.

This outline given below will guide you through the key sections of your review, ensuring that your analysis is comprehensive and logically structured.

Refer to the following template to understand outlining the article review in detail.

Article Review Format Template

Article Review Examples

Examining article review examples can provide valuable insights into the structure, tone, and depth of analysis expected.

Below are sample article reviews, each illustrating a different approach and focus.

Example of Article Review

Sample of article review assignment pdf

Tips for Writing an Effective Article Review

Crafting an effective article review involves a combination of critical analysis, clarity, and structure.

Here are some valuable tips to guide you through the process:

Start with a Clear Introduction

Kick off your article review by introducing the article's main points and mentioning the publication date, which you can find on the re-title page. Outline the topics you'll cover in your review.

Concise Summary with Unanswered Questions

Provide a short summary of the article, emphasizing its main ideas. Highlight any lingering questions, known as "unanswered questions," that the article may have triggered. Use a basic article review template to help structure your thoughts.

Illustrate with Examples

Use examples from the article to illustrate your points. If there are tables or figures in the article, discuss them to make your review more concrete and easily understandable.

Organize Clearly with a Summary Section

Keep your review straightforward and well-organized. Begin with the start of the article, express your thoughts on what you liked or didn't like, and conclude with a summary section. This follows a basic plan for clarity.

Constructive Criticism

When providing criticism, be constructive. If there are elements you don't understand, frame them as "unanswered questions." This approach shows engagement and curiosity.

Smoothly Connect Your Ideas

Ensure your thoughts flow naturally throughout your review. Use simple words and sentences. If you have questions about the article, let them guide your review organically.

Revise and Check for Clarity

Before finishing, go through your review. Correct any mistakes and ensure it sounds clear. Check if you followed your plan, used simple words, and incorporated the keywords effectively. This makes your review better and more accessible for others.

In conclusion , writing an effective article review involves a thoughtful balance of summarizing key points, and addressing unanswered questions.

By following a simple and structured approach, you can create a review that not only analyzes the content but also adds value to the reader's understanding.

Remember to organize your thoughts logically, use clear language, and provide examples from the article to support your points.

Ready to elevate your article reviewing skills? Explore the valuable resources and expert assistance at MyPerfectWords.com.

Our team of experienced writers is here to help you with article reviews and other school tasks.

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Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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An article review is a critical evaluation of a scholarly or scientific piece, which aims to summarize its main ideas, assess its contributions, and provide constructive feedback. A well-written review not only benefits the author of the article under scrutiny but also serves as a valuable resource for fellow researchers and scholars. Follow these steps to create an effective and informative article review:

1. Understand the purpose: Before diving into the article, it is important to understand the intent of writing a review. This helps in focusing your thoughts, directing your analysis, and ensuring your review adds value to the academic community.

2. Read the article thoroughly: Carefully read the article multiple times to get a complete understanding of its content, arguments, and conclusions. As you read, take notes on key points, supporting evidence, and any areas that require further exploration or clarification.

3. Summarize the main ideas: In your review’s introduction, briefly outline the primary themes and arguments presented by the author(s). Keep it concise but sufficiently informative so that readers can quickly grasp the essence of the article.

4. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses: In subsequent paragraphs, assess the strengths and limitations of the article based on factors such as methodology, quality of evidence presented, coherence of arguments, and alignment with existing literature in the field. Be fair and objective while providing your critique.

5. Discuss any implications: Deliberate on how this particular piece contributes to or challenges existing knowledge in its discipline. You may also discuss potential improvements for future research or explore real-world applications stemming from this study.

6. Provide recommendations: Finally, offer suggestions for both the author(s) and readers regarding how they can further build on this work or apply its findings in practice.

7. Proofread and revise: Once your initial draft is complete, go through it carefully for clarity, accuracy, and coherence. Revise as necessary, ensuring your review is both informative and engaging for readers.

Sample Review:

A Critical Review of “The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health”

Introduction:

“The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health” is a timely article which investigates the relationship between social media usage and psychological well-being. The authors present compelling evidence to support their argument that excessive use of social media can result in decreased self-esteem, increased anxiety, and a negative impact on interpersonal relationships.

Strengths and weaknesses:

One of the strengths of this article lies in its well-structured methodology utilizing a variety of sources, including quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. This approach provides a comprehensive view of the topic, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the effects of social media on mental health. However, it would have been beneficial if the authors included a larger sample size to increase the reliability of their conclusions. Additionally, exploring how different platforms may influence mental health differently could have added depth to the analysis.

Implications:

The findings in this article contribute significantly to ongoing debates surrounding the psychological implications of social media use. It highlights the potential dangers that excessive engagement with online platforms may pose to one’s mental well-being and encourages further research into interventions that could mitigate these risks. The study also offers an opportunity for educators and policy-makers to take note and develop strategies to foster healthier online behavior.

Recommendations:

Future researchers should consider investigating how specific social media platforms impact mental health outcomes, as this could lead to more targeted interventions. For practitioners, implementing educational programs aimed at promoting healthy online habits may be beneficial in mitigating the potential negative consequences associated with excessive social media use.

Conclusion:

Overall, “The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health” is an important and informative piece that raises awareness about a pressing issue in today’s digital age. Given its minor limitations, it provides valuable

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How to Write an Article Review: Tips and Examples

Did you know that article reviews are not just academic exercises but also a valuable skill in today's information age? In a world inundated with content, being able to dissect and evaluate articles critically can help you separate the wheat from the chaff. Whether you're a student aiming to excel in your coursework or a professional looking to stay well-informed, mastering the art of writing article reviews is an invaluable skill.

Short Description

In this article, our research paper writing service experts will start by unraveling the concept of article reviews and discussing the various types. You'll also gain insights into the art of formatting your review effectively. To ensure you're well-prepared, we'll take you through the pre-writing process, offering tips on setting the stage for your review. But it doesn't stop there. You'll find a practical example of an article review to help you grasp the concepts in action. To complete your journey, we'll guide you through the post-writing process, equipping you with essential proofreading techniques to ensure your work shines with clarity and precision!

What Is an Article Review: Grasping the Concept

A review article is a type of professional paper writing that demands a high level of in-depth analysis and a well-structured presentation of arguments. It is a critical, constructive evaluation of literature in a particular field through summary, classification, analysis, and comparison.

If you write a scientific review, you have to use database searches to portray the research. Your primary goal is to summarize everything and present a clear understanding of the topic you've been working on.

Writing Involves:

Summarization, classification, analysis, critiques, and comparison.
The analysis, evaluation, and comparison require the use of theories, ideas, and research relevant to the subject area of the article.
It is also worth nothing if a review does not introduce new information, but instead presents a response to another writer's work.
Check out other samples to gain a better understanding of how to review the article.

Types of Review

When it comes to article reviews, there's more than one way to approach the task. Understanding the various types of reviews is like having a versatile toolkit at your disposal. In this section, we'll walk you through the different dimensions of review types, each offering a unique perspective and purpose. Whether you're dissecting a scholarly article, critiquing a piece of literature, or evaluating a product, you'll discover the diverse landscape of article reviews and how to navigate it effectively.

Journal Article Review

Just like other types of reviews, a journal article review assesses the merits and shortcomings of a published work. To illustrate, consider a review of an academic paper on climate change, where the writer meticulously analyzes and interprets the article's significance within the context of environmental science.

Research Article Review

Distinguished by its focus on research methodologies, a research article review scrutinizes the techniques used in a study and evaluates them in light of the subsequent analysis and critique. For instance, when reviewing a research article on the effects of a new drug, the reviewer would delve into the methods employed to gather data and assess their reliability.

Science Article Review

In the realm of scientific literature, a science article review encompasses a wide array of subjects. Scientific publications often provide extensive background information, which can be instrumental in conducting a comprehensive analysis. For example, when reviewing an article about the latest breakthroughs in genetics, the reviewer may draw upon the background knowledge provided to facilitate a more in-depth evaluation of the publication.

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Formatting an Article Review

The format of the article should always adhere to the citation style required by your professor. If you're not sure, seek clarification on the preferred format and ask him to clarify several other pointers to complete the formatting of an article review adequately.

How Many Publications Should You Review?

In what format should you cite your articles (MLA, APA, ASA, Chicago, etc.)?
What length should your review be?
Should you include a summary, critique, or personal opinion in your assignment?
Do you need to call attention to a theme or central idea within the articles?
Does your instructor require background information?

When you know the answers to these questions, you may start writing your assignment. Below are examples of MLA and APA formats, as those are the two most common citation styles.

Using the APA Format

Articles appear most commonly in academic journals, newspapers, and websites. If you write an article review in the APA format, you will need to write bibliographical entries for the sources you use:

Web : Author [last name], A.A [first and middle initial]. (Year, Month, Date of Publication). Title. Retrieved from {link}
Journal : Author [last name], A.A [first and middle initial]. (Publication Year). Publication Title. Periodical Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp.
Newspaper : Author [last name], A.A [first and middle initial]. (Year, Month, Date of Publication). Publication Title. Magazine Title, pp. xx-xx.

Using MLA Format

Web : Last, First Middle Initial. “Publication Title.” Website Title. Website Publisher, Date Month Year Published. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.
Newspaper : Last, First M. “Publication Title.” Newspaper Title [City] Date, Month, Year Published: Page(s). Print.
Journal : Last, First M. “Publication Title.” Journal Title Series Volume. Issue (Year Published): Page(s). Database Name. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.

Enhance your writing effortlessly with EssayPro.com , where you can order an article review or any other writing task. Our team of expert writers specializes in various fields, ensuring your work is not just summarized, but deeply analyzed and professionally presented. Ideal for students and professionals alike, EssayPro offers top-notch writing assistance tailored to your needs. Elevate your writing today with our skilled team at your article review writing service !

The Pre-Writing Process

Facing this task for the first time can really get confusing and can leave you unsure of where to begin. To create a top-notch article review, start with a few preparatory steps. Here are the two main stages from our dissertation services to get you started:

Step 1: Define the right organization for your review. Knowing the future setup of your paper will help you define how you should read the article. Here are the steps to follow:

Summarize the article — seek out the main points, ideas, claims, and general information presented in the article.
Define the positive points — identify the strong aspects, ideas, and insightful observations the author has made.
Find the gaps —- determine whether or not the author has any contradictions, gaps, or inconsistencies in the article and evaluate whether or not he or she used a sufficient amount of arguments and information to support his or her ideas.
Identify unanswered questions — finally, identify if there are any questions left unanswered after reading the piece.

Step 2: Move on and review the article. Here is a small and simple guide to help you do it right:

Start off by looking at and assessing the title of the piece, its abstract, introductory part, headings and subheadings, opening sentences in its paragraphs, and its conclusion.
First, read only the beginning and the ending of the piece (introduction and conclusion). These are the parts where authors include all of their key arguments and points. Therefore, if you start with reading these parts, it will give you a good sense of the author's main points.
Finally, read the article fully.

These three steps make up most of the prewriting process. After you are done with them, you can move on to writing your own review—and we are going to guide you through the writing process as well.

Outline and Template

As you progress with reading your article, organize your thoughts into coherent sections in an outline. As you read, jot down important facts, contributions, or contradictions. Identify the shortcomings and strengths of your publication. Begin to map your outline accordingly.

If your professor does not want a summary section or a personal critique section, then you must alleviate those parts from your writing. Much like other assignments, an article review must contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Thus, you might consider dividing your outline according to these sections as well as subheadings within the body. If you find yourself troubled with the pre-writing and the brainstorming process for this assignment, seek out a sample outline.

Your custom essay must contain these constituent parts:

Pre-Title Page - Before diving into your review, start with essential details: article type, publication title, and author names with affiliations (position, department, institution, location, and email). Include corresponding author info if needed.
Running Head - In APA format, use a concise title (under 40 characters) to ensure consistent formatting.
Summary Page - Optional but useful. Summarize the article in 800 words, covering background, purpose, results, and methodology, avoiding verbatim text or references.
Title Page - Include the full title, a 250-word abstract, and 4-6 keywords for discoverability.
Introduction - Set the stage with an engaging overview of the article.
Body - Organize your analysis with headings and subheadings.
Works Cited/References - Properly cite all sources used in your review.
Optional Suggested Reading Page - If permitted, suggest further readings for in-depth exploration.
Tables and Figure Legends (if instructed by the professor) - Include visuals when requested by your professor for clarity.

Example of an Article Review

You might wonder why we've dedicated a section of this article to discuss an article review sample. Not everyone may realize it, but examining multiple well-constructed examples of review articles is a crucial step in the writing process. In the following section, our essay writing service experts will explain why.

Looking through relevant article review examples can be beneficial for you in the following ways:

To get you introduced to the key works of experts in your field.
To help you identify the key people engaged in a particular field of science.
To help you define what significant discoveries and advances were made in your field.
To help you unveil the major gaps within the existing knowledge of your field—which contributes to finding fresh solutions.
To help you find solid references and arguments for your own review.
To help you generate some ideas about any further field of research.
To help you gain a better understanding of the area and become an expert in this specific field.
To get a clear idea of how to write a good review.

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Steps for Writing an Article Review

Here is a guide with critique paper format on how to write a review paper:

Step 1: Write the Title

First of all, you need to write a title that reflects the main focus of your work. Respectively, the title can be either interrogative, descriptive, or declarative.

Step 2: Cite the Article

Next, create a proper citation for the reviewed article and input it following the title. At this step, the most important thing to keep in mind is the style of citation specified by your instructor in the requirements for the paper. For example, an article citation in the MLA style should look as follows:

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

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

Step 3: Article Identification

After your citation, you need to include the identification of your reviewed article:

Title of the article
Title of the journal
Year of publication

All of this information should be included in the first paragraph of your paper.

The report "Poverty increases school drop-outs" was written by Brian Faith – a Health officer – in 2000.

Step 4: Introduction

Your organization in an assignment like this is of the utmost importance. Before embarking on your writing process, you should outline your assignment or use an article review template to organize your thoughts coherently.

If you are wondering how to start an article review, begin with an introduction that mentions the article and your thesis for the review.
Follow up with a summary of the main points of the article.
Highlight the positive aspects and facts presented in the publication.
Critique the publication by identifying gaps, contradictions, disparities in the text, and unanswered questions.

Step 5: Summarize the Article

Make a summary of the article by revisiting what the author has written about. Note any relevant facts and findings from the article. Include the author's conclusions in this section.

Step 6: Critique It

Present the strengths and weaknesses you have found in the publication. Highlight the knowledge that the author has contributed to the field. Also, write about any gaps and/or contradictions you have found in the article. Take a standpoint of either supporting or not supporting the author's assertions, but back up your arguments with facts and relevant theories that are pertinent to that area of knowledge. Rubrics and templates can also be used to evaluate and grade the person who wrote the article.

Step 7: Craft a Conclusion

In this section, revisit the critical points of your piece, your findings in the article, and your critique. Also, write about the accuracy, validity, and relevance of the results of the article review. Present a way forward for future research in the field of study. Before submitting your article, keep these pointers in mind:

As you read the article, highlight the key points. This will help you pinpoint the article's main argument and the evidence that they used to support that argument.
While you write your review, use evidence from your sources to make a point. This is best done using direct quotations.
Select quotes and supporting evidence adequately and use direct quotations sparingly. Take time to analyze the article adequately.
Every time you reference a publication or use a direct quotation, use a parenthetical citation to avoid accidentally plagiarizing your article.
Re-read your piece a day after you finish writing it. This will help you to spot grammar mistakes and to notice any flaws in your organization.
Use a spell-checker and get a second opinion on your paper.

The Post-Writing Process: Proofread Your Work

Finally, when all of the parts of your article review are set and ready, you have one last thing to take care of — proofreading. Although students often neglect this step, proofreading is a vital part of the writing process and will help you polish your paper to ensure that there are no mistakes or inconsistencies.

To proofread your paper properly, start by reading it fully and checking the following points:

Punctuation
Other mistakes

Afterward, take a moment to check for any unnecessary information in your paper and, if found, consider removing it to streamline your content. Finally, double-check that you've covered at least 3-4 key points in your discussion.

And remember, if you ever need help with proofreading, rewriting your essay, or even want to buy essay , our friendly team is always here to assist you.

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Article Summaries, Reviews & Critiques

Writing an article SUMMARY

Writing an article REVIEW

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A journal article review is written for a reader who is knowledgeable in the discipline and is interested not just in the coverage and content of the article being reviewed, but also in your critical assessment of the ideas and argument that are being presented by the author.

Your review might be guided by the following questions:

Additional Resources

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How to Write an Article Review (from Essaypro.com)

How to Review a Journal Article (from University of Illinois Springfield)

Writing Critical Reviews (from Queen's University Library)

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Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 9:32 AM
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How to Write an Article Review That Stands Out

An article review is a critical assessment of another writer’s research paper or scholarly article. Such an activity aims to expand one’s knowledge by evaluating the original author’s research.

Of course, writing an article review could be tricky. But a few expert tips and tricks can get you on the right track. That’s what this interesting blog post is all about. So, ensure you read it till the end to make the most out of it.

Table of Contents

A Step-by-step Guide on How to Write an Article Review

Master the art of writing an article review with this step-by-step guide from professional paper help providers.

Step 1: Select the Right Article

The first step is to pick a suitable article for a review. Choose a scholarly source that’s connected to your area of study. You can look for pieces printed in trustworthy journals or by respected authors.

For Example:

For reviewing an article on climate change, consider selecting one from scientific journals like Nature or Science.

Step 2: Read and Understand the Article

It’s super important to read and understand the article before writing your review. Read the article a few times and jot down the notes as you go. Focus on the main arguments, major points, evidence, and how it’s structured.

Let’s say you’re looking at an article on how social media affects mental health. Ensure to take note of the following:

The number of people involved
How the data is analyzed
The Results

Step 3: Structure and Introduction

To start a solid review, start with an introduction that gives readers the background info they need. Must include the article’s title, the author, and where it was published. Also, write a summary of the main point or argument in the article.

“In the article ‘The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health by John Smith, published in the Journal of Psychology:

The author examines the correlation between excessive social media usage and adolescent mental health disorders.”

Step 4: Summarize the Article

In this part, you’ll need to quickly go over the main points and arguments from the article. Make it short but must cover the most important elements and the evidence that backs them up. Leave your opinions and analysis out of it for now.

For instance, you could write:

“The author discusses various studies highlighting the negative effects of excessive social media usage on mental health.

Smith’s research reveals a significant correlation between

Increased social media consumption and higher rates of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem among teenagers.

The article also explores the underlying mechanisms, such as social comparison and cyberbullying. All are contributing to the adverse mental health outcomes.”

Step 5: Critically Analyze and Evaluate

Now that you’ve given a rundown of the article, it’s time to take a closer look. Think about what the author did well and what could have been done better.

Check out the proof they used and if it seems solid. Give a thorough assessment, and use examples from the text to support your thoughts.

For Example

“While the article presents compelling evidence linking social media usage to mental health issues , it is important to acknowledge some limitations in Smith’s study.

The sample size of the research was relatively small. It comprises only 100 participants, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.

Additionally, the study primarily focused on one specific age group, namely adolescents. This way, there’s room for further research on other demographic groups.”

Step 6: Express Your Perspective

Here’s your chance to give your two cents and show off your smarts. Put your spin on the article by pointing out the pros, cons, and other potential improvements. Remember to back up your thoughts with facts and sound arguments.

Continuing with the Previous Example

Despite the limitations, Smith’s research offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between social media and mental health.

Future studies could expand the sample size and include a more diverse range of age groups. It is better to understand the broader impact of social media on mental well-being.

Furthermore, exploring strategies for developing digital literacy programs could be potential avenues for future research.

Step 7: Conclusion and Final Thoughts

At the end of your article review, wrap it up with a brief and powerful conclusion. Give a summary of your main points and overall thoughts about the article.

Point out its importance to the field and the impact of the study. Finish off with a thought-provoking conclusion. Give the reader a sense of finality and emphasize the need for additional research or discussion.

For instance

“In conclusion, John Smith’s article provides valuable insights into the detrimental effects of excessive social media usage on adolescent mental health.

While the research has limitations, it serves as a starting point for further investigation in this rapidly evolving field.

By addressing the research gaps and implementing targeted interventions:

We can strive to promote a healthier relationship between social media and mental well-being in our digitally connected society.”

Step 8: Editing and Proofreading

Before submission, set aside some time for editing and proofreading.

Ensure everything makes sense and everything is correct. Check out how it reads and if your points come across clearly. Get feedback from other people to get a different point of view and make it even better.

Types of Article Reviews

In college, you might be asked to write different types of review articles, including:

Narrative Review

This type of review needs you to look into the author’s background and experiences. You have to go through the specialist’s theories and practices and compare them. For the success of a narrative review, ensure that your arguments are qualitative and make sense.

Evidence Review

For a solid evidence paper, you got to put in the work and study the topic. You’ll need to research the facts, analyze the author’s ideas, their effects, and more.

Systematic Review

This task involves reviewing a bunch of research papers and summarizing the existing knowledge about a certain subject. A systematic paper type uses an organized approach and expects you to answer questions linked to the research.

Tips for Writing a Great Article Review

Here are some expert tips you could use to write an exceptional article review:

1. Figure out the main points you want to cover and why they matter.

It will help you zero in on the key points.

2. Look for and assess pertinent sources, both from the past and present.

It will give you a better understanding of the article you’re looking at.

3. Come Up with a Catchy Title, Summarize Your Topic in an Abstract, and Select Keywords

It will help people read your review and get a good idea of what it’s about.

4. Write the main point of a review along with introducing the topic.

It should help readers get a better grasp of the topic.

Outline for Writing a Good Article Review

Here’s an outline to write an excellent article review.

Introduction

– Begin with a summary of the article

– Put in background knowledge of the topic

– State why you are writing the review

– Give an overview of the article’s main points

– Figure out why the author choose to write something

– Look at the article and consider what it does well and what it could have done better.

– Highlight the shortcomings in the article

– Restate why you are writing the review

– Sum up the main points in a few sentences

– Suggest what could be achieved in the future research

Review Article Example

Title: “The Power of Vulnerability: A Review of Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly”

Introduction:

In her revolutionary book “Daring Greatly,”

Brené Brown, a renowned researcher and storyteller. Delves into vulnerability and how it can positively impact our lives, both professionally and personally.

Brown’s work has gained lots of praise. Since it resonates with people looking to build real connections in a world that often feels isolated.

This article looks to recap the main ideas and concepts from “Daring Greatly.” Also explains why it is such a captivating and insightful read.

Summary of Key Ideas:

“Daring Greatly” is all about how the vulnerability isn’t a sign of being weak. but it’s actually what it takes to be brave, strong and live a full life.

Brene Brown examines how society and culture can make it hard to be vulnerable. And, how fear of being judged or shamed stops us from being our authentic selves.

The book puts a lot of emphasis on shame and how it affects us.

Brown explains that shame thrives when it’s kept hidden away and can only be cured by being open, understanding, and compassionate.

By admitting our weaknesses, we can create meaningful connections and a sense of community.

Brown looks into the connection between being open to vulnerability and unleashing creative leadership and innovation.

She uses her own experiences and research to support her viewpoint. The book also gives useful advice on how to include vulnerability in different parts of life. Such as relationships, parenting, and the workplace.

Strengths of the Book:

Brown’s book is remarkable for her ability to mix her own experiences with comprehensive research. Combining her stories and evidence makes the material engaging and easy to understand.

Plus, her writing style is so friendly that readers feel they’re being acknowledged and accepted.

There’s advice on how to be kind to yourself. Set your limits, and accept that things won’t always be perfect. It’s like a toolkit to help you build strength and make positive changes.

Final Verdict

This book is really helpful for everyone, no matter who you are. It can help you figure out how to grow in life, have better relationships, and become a better leader. Plus, since it applies to all kinds of people, everyone can get something out of it.

If you want to write a great article review, it’s important to pick the right article, understand and analyze it critically. Finally, express your thoughts on it clearly. Ensure to stay impartial, back up your points with evidence, and write clearly and coherently.

Still if you are having troubles writing an article review, don’t hesitate to count on the expertise of our writers .

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How to write a review article?

In the medical sciences, the importance of review articles is rising. When clinicians want to update their knowledge and generate guidelines about a topic, they frequently use reviews as a starting point. The value of a review is associated with what has been done, what has been found and how these findings are presented. Before asking ‘how,’ the question of ‘why’ is more important when starting to write a review. The main and fundamental purpose of writing a review is to create a readable synthesis of the best resources available in the literature for an important research question or a current area of research. Although the idea of writing a review is attractive, it is important to spend time identifying the important questions. Good review methods are critical because they provide an unbiased point of view for the reader regarding the current literature. There is a consensus that a review should be written in a systematic fashion, a notion that is usually followed. In a systematic review with a focused question, the research methods must be clearly described. A ‘methodological filter’ is the best method for identifying the best working style for a research question, and this method reduces the workload when surveying the literature. An essential part of the review process is differentiating good research from bad and leaning on the results of the better studies. The ideal way to synthesize studies is to perform a meta-analysis. In conclusion, when writing a review, it is best to clearly focus on fixed ideas, to use a procedural and critical approach to the literature and to express your findings in an attractive way.

The importance of review articles in health sciences is increasing day by day. Clinicians frequently benefit from review articles to update their knowledge in their field of specialization, and use these articles as a starting point for formulating guidelines. [ 1 , 2 ] The institutions which provide financial support for further investigations resort to these reviews to reveal the need for these researches. [ 3 ] As is the case with all other researches, the value of a review article is related to what is achieved, what is found, and the way of communicating this information. A few studies have evaluated the quality of review articles. Murlow evaluated 50 review articles published in 1985, and 1986, and revealed that none of them had complied with clear-cut scientific criteria. [ 4 ] In 1996 an international group that analyzed articles, demonstrated the aspects of review articles, and meta-analyses that had not complied with scientific criteria, and elaborated QUOROM (QUality Of Reporting Of Meta-analyses) statement which focused on meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies. [ 5 ] Later on this guideline was updated, and named as PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). [ 6 ]

Review articles are divided into 2 categories as narrative, and systematic reviews. Narrative reviews are written in an easily readable format, and allow consideration of the subject matter within a large spectrum. However in a systematic review, a very detailed, and comprehensive literature surveying is performed on the selected topic. [ 7 , 8 ] Since it is a result of a more detailed literature surveying with relatively lesser involvement of author’s bias, systematic reviews are considered as gold standard articles. Systematic reviews can be diivded into qualitative, and quantitative reviews. In both of them detailed literature surveying is performed. However in quantitative reviews, study data are collected, and statistically evaluated (ie. meta-analysis). [ 8 ]

Before inquring for the method of preparation of a review article, it is more logical to investigate the motivation behind writing the review article in question. The fundamental rationale of writing a review article is to make a readable synthesis of the best literature sources on an important research inquiry or a topic. This simple definition of a review article contains the following key elements:

The question(s) to be dealt with
Methods used to find out, and select the best quality researches so as to respond to these questions.
To synthetize available, but quite different researches

For the specification of important questions to be answered, number of literature references to be consulted should be more or less determined. Discussions should be conducted with colleagues in the same area of interest, and time should be reserved for the solution of the problem(s). Though starting to write the review article promptly seems to be very alluring, the time you spend for the determination of important issues won’t be a waste of time. [ 9 ]

The PRISMA statement [ 6 ] elaborated to write a well-designed review articles contains a 27-item checklist ( Table 1 ). It will be reasonable to fulfill the requirements of these items during preparation of a review article or a meta-analysis. Thus preparation of a comprehensible article with a high-quality scientific content can be feasible.

PRISMA statement: A 27-item checklist

Contents and format

Important differences exist between systematic, and non-systematic reviews which especially arise from methodologies used in the description of the literature sources. A non-systematic review means use of articles collected for years with the recommendations of your colleagues, while systematic review is based on struggles to search for, and find the best possible researches which will respond to the questions predetermined at the start of the review.

Though a consensus has been reached about the systematic design of the review articles, studies revealed that most of them had not been written in a systematic format. McAlister et al. analyzed review articles in 6 medical journals, and disclosed that in less than one fourth of the review articles, methods of description, evaluation or synthesis of evidence had been provided, one third of them had focused on a clinical topic, and only half of them had provided quantitative data about the extend of the potential benefits. [ 10 ]

Use of proper methodologies in review articles is important in that readers assume an objective attitude towards updated information. We can confront two problems while we are using data from researches in order to answer certain questions. Firstly, we can be prejudiced during selection of research articles or these articles might be biased. To minimize this risk, methodologies used in our reviews should allow us to define, and use researches with minimal degree of bias. The second problem is that, most of the researches have been performed with small sample sizes. In statistical methods in meta-analyses, available researches are combined to increase the statistical power of the study. The problematic aspect of a non-systematic review is that our tendency to give biased responses to the questions, in other words we apt to select the studies with known or favourite results, rather than the best quality investigations among them.

As is the case with many research articles, general format of a systematic review on a single subject includes sections of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion ( Table 2 ).

Structure of a systematic review

Preparation of the review article

Steps, and targets of constructing a good review article are listed in Table 3 . To write a good review article the items in Table 3 should be implemented step by step. [ 11 – 13 ]

Steps of a systematic review

The research question

It might be helpful to divide the research question into components. The most prevalently used format for questions related to the treatment is PICO (P - Patient, Problem or Population; I-Intervention; C-appropriate Comparisons, and O-Outcome measures) procedure. For example In female patients (P) with stress urinary incontinence, comparisons (C) between transobturator, and retropubic midurethral tension-free band surgery (I) as for patients’ satisfaction (O).

Finding Studies

In a systematic review on a focused question, methods of investigation used should be clearly specified.

Ideally, research methods, investigated databases, and key words should be described in the final report. Different databases are used dependent on the topic analyzed. In most of the clinical topics, Medline should be surveyed. However searching through Embase and CINAHL can be also appropriate.

While determining appropriate terms for surveying, PICO elements of the issue to be sought may guide the process. Since in general we are interested in more than one outcome, P, and I can be key elements. In this case we should think about synonyms of P, and I elements, and combine them with a conjunction AND.

One method which might alleviate the workload of surveying process is “methodological filter” which aims to find the best investigation method for each research question. A good example of this method can be found in PubMed interface of Medline. The Clinical Queries tool offers empirically developed filters for five different inquiries as guidelines for etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis or clinical prediction.

Evaluation of the Quality of the Study

As an indispensable component of the review process is to discriminate good, and bad quality researches from each other, and the outcomes should be based on better qualified researches, as far as possible. To achieve this goal you should know the best possible evidence for each type of question The first component of the quality is its general planning/design of the study. General planning/design of a cohort study, a case series or normal study demonstrates variations.

A hierarchy of evidence for different research questions is presented in Table 4 . However this hierarchy is only a first step. After you find good quality research articles, you won’t need to read all the rest of other articles which saves you tons of time. [ 14 ]

Determination of levels of evidence based on the type of the research question

Formulating a Synthesis

Rarely all researches arrive at the same conclusion. In this case a solution should be found. However it is risky to make a decision based on the votes of absolute majority. Indeed, a well-performed large scale study, and a weakly designed one are weighed on the same scale. Therefore, ideally a meta-analysis should be performed to solve apparent differences. Ideally, first of all, one should be focused on the largest, and higher quality study, then other studies should be compared with this basic study.

Conclusions

In conclusion, during writing process of a review article, the procedures to be achieved can be indicated as follows: 1) Get rid of fixed ideas, and obsessions from your head, and view the subject from a large perspective. 2) Research articles in the literature should be approached with a methodological, and critical attitude and 3) finally data should be explained in an attractive way.

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How to Review a Journal Article

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For many kinds of assignments, like a literature review , you may be asked to offer a critique or review of a journal article. This is an opportunity for you as a scholar to offer your qualified opinion and evaluation of how another scholar has composed their article, argument, and research. That means you will be expected to go beyond a simple summary of the article and evaluate it on a deeper level. As a college student, this might sound intimidating. However, as you engage with the research process, you are becoming immersed in a particular topic, and your insights about the way that topic is presented are valuable and can contribute to the overall conversation surrounding your topic.

IMPORTANT NOTE!!

Some disciplines, like Criminal Justice, may only want you to summarize the article without including your opinion or evaluation. If your assignment is to summarize the article only, please see our literature review handout.

Before getting started on the critique, it is important to review the article thoroughly and critically. To do this, we recommend take notes, annotating , and reading the article several times before critiquing. As you read, be sure to note important items like the thesis, purpose, research questions, hypotheses, methods, evidence, key findings, major conclusions, tone, and publication information. Depending on your writing context, some of these items may not be applicable.

Questions to Consider

To evaluate a source, consider some of the following questions. They are broken down into different categories, but answering these questions will help you consider what areas to examine. With each category, we recommend identifying the strengths and weaknesses in each since that is a critical part of evaluation.

Evaluating Purpose and Argument

How well is the purpose made clear in the introduction through background/context and thesis?
How well does the abstract represent and summarize the article’s major points and argument?
How well does the objective of the experiment or of the observation fill a need for the field?
How well is the argument/purpose articulated and discussed throughout the body of the text?
How well does the discussion maintain cohesion?

Evaluating the Presentation/Organization of Information

How appropriate and clear is the title of the article?
Where could the author have benefited from expanding, condensing, or omitting ideas?
How clear are the author’s statements? Challenge ambiguous statements.
What underlying assumptions does the author have, and how does this affect the credibility or clarity of their article?
How objective is the author in his or her discussion of the topic?
How well does the organization fit the article’s purpose and articulate key goals?

Evaluating Methods

How appropriate are the study design and methods for the purposes of the study?
How detailed are the methods being described? Is the author leaving out important steps or considerations?
Have the procedures been presented in enough detail to enable the reader to duplicate them?

Evaluating Data

Scan and spot-check calculations. Are the statistical methods appropriate?
Do you find any content repeated or duplicated?
How many errors of fact and interpretation does the author include? (You can check on this by looking up the references the author cites).
What pertinent literature has the author cited, and have they used this literature appropriately?

Following, we have an example of a summary and an evaluation of a research article. Note that in most literature review contexts, the summary and evaluation would be much shorter. This extended example shows the different ways a student can critique and write about an article.

Chik, A. (2012). Digital gameplay for autonomous foreign language learning: Gamers’ and language teachers’ perspectives. In H. Reinders (ed.), Digital games in language learning and teaching (pp. 95-114). Eastbourne, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Be sure to include the full citation either in a reference page or near your evaluation if writing an annotated bibliography .

In Chik’s article “Digital Gameplay for Autonomous Foreign Language Learning: Gamers’ and Teachers’ Perspectives”, she explores the ways in which “digital gamers manage gaming and gaming-related activities to assume autonomy in their foreign language learning,” (96) which is presented in contrast to how teachers view the “pedagogical potential” of gaming. The research was described as an “umbrella project” consisting of two parts. The first part examined 34 language teachers’ perspectives who had limited experience with gaming (only five stated they played games regularly) (99). Their data was recorded through a survey, class discussion, and a seven-day gaming trial done by six teachers who recorded their reflections through personal blog posts. The second part explored undergraduate gaming habits of ten Hong Kong students who were regular gamers. Their habits were recorded through language learning histories, videotaped gaming sessions, blog entries of gaming practices, group discussion sessions, stimulated recall sessions on gaming videos, interviews with other gamers, and posts from online discussion forums. The research shows that while students recognize the educational potential of games and have seen benefits of it in their lives, the instructors overall do not see the positive impacts of gaming on foreign language learning.

The summary includes the article’s purpose, methods, results, discussion, and citations when necessary.

This article did a good job representing the undergraduate gamers’ voices through extended quotes and stories. Particularly for the data collection of the undergraduate gamers, there were many opportunities for an in-depth examination of their gaming practices and histories. However, the representation of the teachers in this study was very uneven when compared to the students. Not only were teachers labeled as numbers while the students picked out their own pseudonyms, but also when viewing the data collection, the undergraduate students were more closely examined in comparison to the teachers in the study. While the students have fifteen extended quotes describing their experiences in their research section, the teachers only have two of these instances in their section, which shows just how imbalanced the study is when presenting instructor voices.

Some research methods, like the recorded gaming sessions, were only used with students whereas teachers were only asked to blog about their gaming experiences. This creates a richer narrative for the students while also failing to give instructors the chance to have more nuanced perspectives. This lack of nuance also stems from the emphasis of the non-gamer teachers over the gamer teachers. The non-gamer teachers’ perspectives provide a stark contrast to the undergraduate gamer experiences and fits neatly with the narrative of teachers not valuing gaming as an educational tool. However, the study mentioned five teachers that were regular gamers whose perspectives are left to a short section at the end of the presentation of the teachers’ results. This was an opportunity to give the teacher group a more complex story, and the opportunity was entirely missed.

Additionally, the context of this study was not entirely clear. The instructors were recruited through a master’s level course, but the content of the course and the institution’s background is not discussed. Understanding this context helps us understand the course’s purpose(s) and how those purposes may have influenced the ways in which these teachers interpreted and saw games. It was also unclear how Chik was connected to this masters’ class and to the students. Why these particular teachers and students were recruited was not explicitly defined and also has the potential to skew results in a particular direction.

Overall, I was inclined to agree with the idea that students can benefit from language acquisition through gaming while instructors may not see the instructional value, but I believe the way the research was conducted and portrayed in this article made it very difficult to support Chik’s specific findings.

Some professors like you to begin an evaluation with something positive but isn’t always necessary.

The evaluation is clearly organized and uses transitional phrases when moving to a new topic.

This evaluation includes a summative statement that gives the overall impression of the article at the end, but this can also be placed at the beginning of the evaluation.

This evaluation mainly discusses the representation of data and methods. However, other areas, like organization, are open to critique.

How to Write an Article Review: Tips, Outline, Format

Have you been assigned an article review paper, but you are unsure where to start, or what is a review article at all? There is no need to worry, as EssayService has put together a top guide for you! Find out all about an article review to master your assignment.

What is an Article Review?

In simple terms, an article review essay is like a summary and evaluation of another professional or expert's work. It may also be referred to as a literature review that includes an outline of the most recent research on the subject, or a critical review that focuses on a specific article with smaller scope. Article review can be used for many reasons; for example, a teacher or lecturer may wish to introduce their students to a new subject by reviewing a professional's piece. You can also learn about the most important works of specialists in your industry by looking at relevant article review examples.

Also, a newspaper article review example could be a journalist writing a critique about another competitor's published work.

In comparison, a book review article example could be critiqued by a fellow author or even a student in the chosen field.

Depending on the critique criteria and the work being reviewed, there could also be certain points asked for addition which should be checked and noted by the lecturer or supervisor. Otherwise, follow the article review guidelines from our write my essay service to complete the assignment in no time.

Key points when writing an article review:

Use the article review template from our paper writing service to get through the assignment as fast as possible so you will not waste any time.

How to Start an Article Review?

Firstly read the work being reviewed as much as possible and look up key phrases and words that are not understood.
Discuss the work with other professionals or colleagues to collect more opinions and get a more balanced impression.
Highlight important sections or sentences and refer this to your knowledge in the topic, do you agree or disagree and what does this contribute to the field?
Then re-write the key arguments and findings into your own words this will help gain better understanding into the paper. This can be just written as an outline also and will help decide which points are wanted to discuss later.

If you feel you do not have enough time to create a critique worthy of your time, then come to EssayService and order a custom Article review online.

You can order essay independent of type, for example:

nursing essay;
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The best way to write an effective essay would be to draw up a plan or outline of what needs to be covered and use it for guidance throughout the critique.

Article Review Formatting

There is no one-fits-all article format you can follow in your review. In fact, the formatting is dictated by the citation style specified by your professor in the task requirements. Thus, be sure to clarify the preferred style before you jump straight to writing to handle the given assignment right.

APA Format Article Review

Writing an APA style article review, you will most likely use articles from journals, websites, and newspapers. For each source, you will have to create properly formatted bibliographical entries.

Here is how to write an article review APA:

Journal: Author’s last name, First and middle initial. (Year of Publication). Publication Title. Periodical Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp.
Website: Last name, initials. (Date of Publication). Title. Retrieved from {link}
Newspaper: Last name, initials. (Date of Publication). Title. Magazine Title, pp. xx-xx.

MLA Format Article Review

Tips for citing sources in an article review MLA format:

Journal: Last name, First name Middle initial. “Title.” Journal Title Series Volume. Issue (Year of Publication): Page(s). Database Name. Web. Date Accessed.
Website: Last, First M. “Title.” Website Title. Publisher, Date Published. Web. Date Accessed.
Newspaper: Last, First M. “Title.” Newspaper Title [City] Date of Publication: Page(s). Print.

Article Review Outline

Planning out an outline for your paper will help writing and to put it together so therefore saving you time in the long run.

Some questions to help with the outline of a critique:

What does the article set out to do or prove?
Are the main ideas clear and defined?
How substantial is the evidence?
Where does the article fit in its specific field?
Does it provide new knowledge on the topic?
What are the central theories and assumptions?
Is the writer conclusive at getting their point across?

Here is a typical article review format to follow:

Use our article review template to get through the assignment as fast as possible so you will not waste any time.

Article Review Title

Firstly start with creating a title for your critique, this should be something to do with the focus of the work that is being reviewed. An approach could be to make it descriptive or also in a more creative way think of something that intrigues the reader. After the title, this is a good place to correctly cite the paper being critiqued and include the important details for example, the author, title of publication, any page references. The style in which the citation is written will depend on which is best for this type of work being reviewed.

Article Review Introduction

The introduction should be a brief glimpse into what the author was writing about and any other details the audience will find interesting. Maybe some background details on the piece that is not already known or something that contributes to the review itself. It is a good idea to start by introducing the work at the start of the paragraph and then include a ' hook '. Include the writer's thesis if there is one and put it at the end but include your own thesis towards the critique near the beginning of this section.

Article Review Body

When constructing the summary section, write down the important points and findings in the piece in your own words. Include how the claims are supported and backed up with evidence but use direct quotes as sparing as possible. Do not put in any information known to professionals in the field or topic, but detail any conclusions the work came to. Make sure the paper is not just copied word for word and is actually summarized by yourself; this will also help the review stage.

To make an accurate critique, break down the work and express opinions on whether it achieves its goals and how useful it is in explaining the topics for an article review. Decide if the paper contributes to its field and is important and credible to the given field. Back up all the claims with evidence from the summary or another source. If using another text, remember to cite it correctly in the bibliography section. Look at how strong the points are and do they contribute to the argument. Try to identify any biases the writer might have and use this to make a fair critique. This part is only for opinions of the piece's significance, not including whether you liked it. Furthermore, the different types of audiences that would benefit from the paper can be mentioned in this section.

Article Review Conclusion

In the conclusion section of the critique, there should only be one or two paragraphs in which a summary of key points and opinions in the piece are included. Also, summarize the paper's significance to its field and how accurate the work is. Depending on the type of critique or work evaluated, it is also possible to include comments on future research or the topic to be discussed further.

If other sources have been used, construct a bibliography section and correctly cite all works utilized in the critique.

The APA format is very common in an article review and stands for American Psychology Association. This will include a 'references list' at the end of the critique and in-text citations, mentioning the author's last name, page number, and publication date.

There are also MLA and Chicago formats for citations with slight differences in a name, like using a 'works cited' page for MLA. More can be found in this guide on the subtle differences between the types of citation methods under the heading 'Creating a bibliography.'

Article Review Example

Article review writing tips.

If you are interested in best scholarships for high school seniors , the following tips will be handy while writing your essay or article:

Allow enough time to complete the research and writing of the critique. The number one problem with creating a critique is running out of time to make it the best it can be. This can be avoided by effective planning and keeping on time with the deadlines you set out.
Collect twice more research than you think is needed to write a review. This will help when coming to the writing stage as not all the information collected will be used in the final draft.
Write in a style that is compatible with the work being critiqued. This will be better for whoever requested the critique and also will make paper easier to construct.
A summary and evaluation must be written. Do not leave out either part as one complements the other and is vital to create a critique worth reading.
Be clear and explain well every statement made about the piece . Everything that is unknown to professionals in the field should be explained and all comments should be easy to follow for the reader.
Do not just describe the work, analyze and interpret it. The critique should be in depth and give the audience some detailed interpretations of the work in a professional way.
Give an assessment of the quality in the writing and of what standard it is. Evaluate every aspect in the paper so that the audience can see where it fits into the rest of the related works. Give opinions based on fact and do not leave any comments without reason as this will not count for anything.

How to Write an Article Review?

Writing a review article is not that hard if you know what steps to take. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to write a review example quickly and easily.

Before You Start

Before you start writing your review essay, there are a few pre-writing steps to take. The pre-writing process should consist of the following steps:

Pick the subject of your review (if it wasn’t specified by your professor);
Read the article fully multiple times;
Summarize the main ideas, points, and claims made in the article;
Define the positive (strong) aspects;
Identify the gaps or inconsistencies;
Find the questions that remained unanswered.

All these steps are needed to help you define the direction for your review article and find the main ideas you’d like to cover in it.

After you review articles and define the key ideas, gaps, and other details, map out your future paper by creating a detailed outline.

Here are the core elements that must be included:

Pre-title page;
Corresponding author details (optional);
Running head (only for the APA style);
Summary page (optional);
Title page;
Introduction;
References/Works Cited;
Suggested Reading page (optional);
Tables and Figure Legends (if required by the professor).

This step is vital to organize your thoughts and ensure a proper structure of your work. Thus, be sure not to skip this step.

When you have an outline, students can move on to the writing stage by formulating compelling titles for their article reviews. Titles should be declarative, interrogative, or descriptive to reflect the core focus of the paper.

Article Citation

After the title should follow a proper citation of the piece you are going to review. Write a citation according to the required style, and feel free to check out a well-written article review example to see how it should look like.

Article Identification

Start the first paragraph of your review with concise and clear article identification that specifies its title, author, name of the resource (e.g., journal, web, etc.), and the year of publication.

Following the identification, write a short introductory paragraph. It should be to the point and state a clear thesis for your review.

Summary and Critique

In the main body of your article review, you should first make a detailed but not too extensive summary of the article you reviewed, its main ideas, statements, and findings. In this part, you should also reflect on the conclusion made by the author of the original article.

After a general summary should follow an objective critique. In this part of your paper, you have to state and analyze the main strengths and weaknesses of the article. Also, you need to point out any gaps or unanswered questions that are still there. And clarify your stance on the author’s assertions.

Lastly, you need to craft a compelling conclusion that recaps the key points of your review and gives the final, logical evaluation of the piece that was reviewed.

After this, proofread your work and submit it.

No Time Left For Your Due Assignment

Now we hope you understand how to write a review of an article. However, we know that writing a great article review requires a lot of time to properly research the work. To save your precious time, visit EssayService, where our team of top essay writers will help you. The team can even provide you with the best article review topics! You can learn more at the college essay writing service page where we have free guides with all the essay writing tips and tricks!

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Article Review: How's and Why's Explained

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An article review is a critical evaluation of a published journal article. It typically provides an overview of the main points, the author’s arguments, and general quality. Article reviews are usually conducted as part of an academic course or as professional development for educators.

Preparing material before writing an article review requires a thorough study of facts. Assessing what should be stated in your paper plays a crucial role in your research process. The main difficulty is that you should consider the specified information with extra care and formulate your thoughts clearly when writing. It is impossible to write a review article without studying the work. You can't conduct a fair review without having a certain knowledge base. Provided information must be reasonable and contain valid arguments. If these basic characteristics are absent, it indicates that such an evaluation is unfair.

What Is a Review Article?

Writing this type of professional paper requires preparation. A review article or a literature review is an article critique of another author's work that was published previously. Its purpose is to survey existing research and provide readers with your critical assessment of this specific topic. You will be able to create a high-quality article review using these principles:

main topic in-depth analysis;
generalization and classification;
comparison of information from several sources.

When specifying a definition of a review article, a thorough analysis of relevant information and an appropriate database use are a must. The main task is to identify the topic correctly and share the results of your research. The subject of paperwork and the conclusions' validity of its author are your main targets.

Review Article Structure

Preparation for writing a review contains several stages. They include research and making your own opinion. Without an outline of your review article , nothing will work. So it is worth considering an outline and focusing on this issue as well. In addition, your finished work should include:

criticism and comparison (introduction);
detailed topic analysis;
new information.

Finished work should contain a personal conclusion. If you don't include it, an article will be incomplete. You can learn more about how to write such paperwork correctly by exploring the other information below.

How to Write a Good Introduction for a Review Article

Preliminary preparation for writing a piece in a new format will let you:

determine the author’s focus;
mark arguments;
pay attention to structuring.

Studying headlines and arguments plays a critical role in your finished work. Eventually, it makes it more helpful to readers. You should also focus on the introduction of how to start an essay . The introduction makes it possible to get acquainted with a perspective of its topic. For greater efficiency, it is worth pointing out the main thesis. It is important to display issues raised in an article when writing an introduction. When you start your paper, make sure your introduction is catchy enough. It should be interesting and bring some value to your readers. The first few sentences will be your hook for grabbing attention. Tell your audience why you have chosen that particular topic. Also, mention why the subject you surveyed is important.

The Body of Review Article

When studying materials, you should identify different ways of argumentation . Then you will have to highlight them in your work. Please note that the body of article review is an essential component that needs careful work on its details. Remember that your body paragraphs will vary depending on your topic. The bulk of the work includes:

describing the author's arguments;
providing a personal assessment.

Study the text of the first paragraphs. Then try to retell them in your own words. Retelling will help you understand your topic better and transfer your attention from the background to the foreground. Ultimately, you will have to summarize what you’ve read. Tell your opinion about its choice of arguments and evidence base.

How to Write Conclusion to Review Article

Writing a conclusion is always hard. You will need to outline the topic raised by the author and share your impressions. Use the citation from the author's work. Identify the most compelling arguments. Then address them in the conclusion of your review article. Also you can try to use our Conclusion Generator to find interesting ideas. You can’t finish reviewing without providing new information. This will mean that your research was unproductive. Discover new sides of a raised topic. Then search for the presence of arguments from similar literature. It will let you compile a summary of materials you have read and offer food for thought.

Review Article Format

Article review format is necessary for a correct presentation of data about used articles and scientific papers. While writing research, you will need to use citations of both the author and other reliable sources. Depending on your choice, you should write a description. It is worth stopping at APA in some cases. This type of data presentation is more common. There are different rules for writing descriptions of citations in MLA format. Special attention is paid to allocating primary information. Initials, titles, indications of sources, and other information are drawn in accordance with the rules. Looking for a book review format ? We have one more blog dedicated to this theme.

APA Format Article Review

Knowing how to cite a quote is mandatory because they can be used as arguments. Studying materials and presenting data about sources in a certain style requires careful focus on the order of placement of bibliographic data. Choosing APA format for article review is a popular decision for authors who prefer citing information from Internet sources, magazines, and newspapers.

MLA Format Article Review

To write this type of paper, people use quotes from literature covering the given topic. Formatting choice depends on your personal preference. However, if you have decided what style to use, you still should follow some basic rules. Article review in MLA format assumes an indication of publication date, bibliographic data, and titles. Don’t make mistakes when citing authors. Take your time to study the requirements.

How to Write an Article Review

In order to write such a paper, you should decide on your goal. As an author, you should use your analytical skills, critical thinking, and logical arguments. If you still don’t understand how to write an article review, you should follow the tips below:

come up with some catchy title;
use the author's quotes of your publication;
don’t forget to include the title that you are analyzing;
reflect your main ideas in the introduction;
write a resume.

The final part is displaying your material's strengths and weaknesses. Identifying your opinion about the work is also a goal. Use informed criticism to achieve the desired result.

Last Thoughts on Writing a Review Article

A review article is a type of professional essay writing . So you need to study its subject carefully. Use multiple sources and highlight the main arguments. Then form your own opinion on the given topic. In conclusion of your article review, you should bring new arguments for or against the author's opinion. Use the authors' work with an excellent reputation and quote them in your article sections. Finally, don't forget to summarize and point out your work's strengths and weaknesses. Healthy criticism will let you draw up proper conclusions and challenge the author's opinion.

If you need help with your article review, feel free to contact our essay writing service. Our proficient academic writers will execute a perfect paper while being in touch for immediate revisions all the time.

FAQ About Article Review

1. what is a systematic article review.

Reviews of publications that highlight important research are thoroughly analyzed by peers and other representatives in its field. Writing a systematic review article will let you provide strong and weak arguments. Besides, it will help you give your reasons and draw correct conclusions. This will require exploring other relevant articles and databases. Research work allows you to identify erroneous conclusions. It also allows you to produce quality material for interested readers.

2. How long should an article review be?

Preparing and writing a review article requires a serious approach to the work being studied. It is rather difficult to determine how much such an article should take. Many things depend on your chosen topic: the volume of source material (number of words), research quality carried out. Ultimately, you will need to show the author's arguments as well as bring yours in order to support or refute a central thought.

3. How to title an article review?

When writing a review, selecting the right title is also an important task. It is permissible to use interrogative, summarizing, and other sentences to fully reflect the main idea. Heading becomes the focus for drawing attention, so it should be appropriate for your work. The finished review article should reflect the selected topic. It also should present a composed heading for a better understanding of readers.

4. Why articles are peer-reviewed?

In their works, researchers raise important questions that cannot be ignored. Reviewing materials allows you to determine your conclusion’s validity and to achieve better results. Conducting new independent research guarantees discovering new sides of an issue. In addition, more readers manage to study the journal article review.

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How to Write a Review Article

Types of Review Articles
Before Writing a Review Article
Determining Where to Publish
Searching the Literature
Citation Management
Reading a Review Article

What is a Review Article?

The purpose of writing a review article is for knowledge updating concerning a topic.

A review article aims to highlight:

What has been done?
What has been found?
What issues have not been addressed?
What issues remain to be debated?
What new issues have been raised?
What will be the future direction of research?

Similarities and Differences to Original Research Articles

Differences Between Original Research Articles and Review Articles

Venn Diagram original research vs review article

An original research article aims to: Provides background information (Intro.) on prior research, Reasons for present study, Issues to be investigated by the present study, Written for experts. Authors describe: Research methods & materials, Data acquisition/analysis tools, Results, Discussion of results.
Both are Peer-reviewed for: Accuracy, Quality, Biases, Conflict of interest.
A review article aims to: Extensive survey of published research articles about a specific topic, Critical appraising of research findings, summarize up-to-date research findings, Identify critical issues to be addressed, Written for experts and general audiences, Be a source of original research.

Figure by Zhiyong Han, PhD

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A Research Guide
Writing Guide
Article Writing

How To Write an Article Review

Definition of article review
Why do students write article reviews
Types of article review
Structure and outline
Step-by-step guide

Article review format

How to write a good article review
Article review examples

Definition of article review assignments

Why do students write article reviews.

Article writing is a deeply analytical process that helps students to correct vague terms when and if they are present. Likewise, when composing an article review or an original assignment, such work provides more clarity regarding using appropriate words. If an article has colloquial language or logical gaps, it is one of those aspects to mention in an article review. It also allows writers to determine whether certain terms must be replaced and edited.
Article review essay writing helps to clarify scientific questions.
Writing an article review allows students to see and understand how others approach specific issues and what perspectives should be studied regarding the problems at hand. Once a person reads the review, it makes it easier to get rid of bias.
Article review assignments also provide students with editing and grammar work to help with more accurate papers.
Most importantly, an article review is a way to encourage better work and provide critical analysis with due criticism and evaluation of the original article.

Types of article review tasks

Original Research Article Review. The original research article review is close to what is often seen as the literature review. An author must explore the author’s hypothesis and some background studies with due analysis to outline scientific methods. It’s one of the most challenging tasks to write as one must interpret the findings and talk about future implications. This type of work can also get lengthy and be up to 6,000 words in subjects like History or Sociology.
Critical Analysis. As the name implies, it critically evaluates the author’s work and can be up to 3,000 words.
Literature Review. It stands for the review of secondary literature sources. As a rule, such reviews do not present much new data and only evaluate the importance of sources and information that supports the author’s arguments.
Systematic Review. This case stands for research questions and articles that require a deeper synthesis of available facts or certain evidence. The purpose here is to define and evaluate the quality of the data obtained by the author.
Meta-Analysis Reviews. Once again, it is a systematic review focusing on a specific topic, the literature issues. You must provide a special quantitative estimate for exposure and intervention.
Clinical Trial Reviews. It means that one must provide a study related to an investigation offered by the author. It can relate to a drug or talk about a sample group of people, thus bringing it into the field of a defined population or a group of participants.
Perspective or Opinion Article Review. This is where one poses an opinion, meaning things can get biased toward a certain opinion. In writing a good review, a student can look for perspectives and evaluate the importance of the original article. Likewise, posing an opinion is one of the obligatory aspects.

Article review structure and outline

Article review structure.

Title page.
An article introduction presenting the main subject and/or a problem.
Brief article summary.
Critical article evaluation and/or a summary.
Conclusion with the moral lesson and discussion on the findings’ pros/cons.
Bibliography with relevant citations.

Article review outline

You provide an evaluation and summary of the author’s article.
Your audience can receive sufficient knowledge regarding the subject.
You have made points about the strongest arguments of the author.
You have criticized the author’s work and explained how it contributes to the scientific field.
You conclude your article review with your original thoughts and opinions without turning to additional research unless the grading rubric required it.

Step-by-step writing guide

Step 1: learn about the article’s agenda., step 2: summarize the main article ideas, step 3: organization aspect of the review, step 4: article preview and take notes, step 5: paraphrasing and analysis, step 6: final evaluation.

An introduction. The topic of your study must be mentioned here in the first sentence. Indicate what your article contains and talk about the author’s background. Provide an order of the subjects you plan to discuss to explain what your readers expect. The introduction should provide the author’s claims and the main arguments that result in your thesis statement. When writing an introduction, you must determine the main argument.
Body paragraphs. This is where you provide an evaluation with a summary and write about the author’s work.
Conclusion. Speak of your reasons for providing a review and talk about whether you could support your thesis and what you have learned.
Works Cited page. Refer to your grading rubric to identify what citation style must be used.

How to write a good article review?

Do not write the statements in the first person. It is recommended to use the third person instead by turning to a formal academic tone.
Your introduction with the information about the original article should take from 10 to 25% of your assignment’s volume.
An introduction must end with a strong thesis and make an assumption or research the author’s main claim. A typical thesis to start an article review for an assignment may look this way:
Write down all the important points and share your findings. It will help to show that you have done your homework correctly.
Discuss how the article supports the claims and whether it provides good evidence.
Always provide background information about the author.
Use direct quotes to support your claims by turning to the original article.
Read your summary twice to evaluate whether it follows the main thesis.
Talk about the contributions of the author to the academic community.
Provide reasons for whether you support the author’s view or not. Why or why not?
Summarize all the important points in a conclusion part.

Why choose article review examples?

Wright State University’s Journal Article Review Example .
University of Illinois Springfield’s Article How-to Review Guide .
UC Merced Library’s Article Review Sample
Identify recent and important changes in your field of study.
Determine who works in a specific field of science and why.
Narrow things down and identify essential information to help you start with research.
Use obtained information in school debates, and references work.
Generate new ideas and conduct lab experiments.
Write an article review through the lens of personal experience and expertise.

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How to Write an Article Review: Tips, Outline, Format, & Examples

9 December 2023

last updated

This guideline is about how to write an article review, pointing out what students should do to produce high-standard texts, such as preparing themselves, setting the stage, and perfecting the documents by revising and editing words, sentences, and paragraphs to eliminate grammatical and formatting flaws and logical inconsistencies. Basically, an article review presents a constructive analysis of the literature. In this case, scholars use summary, classification, investigation, and appraisal when reviewing scholarly sources. Moreover, such papers help people to identify knowledge gaps in a source and recommend new research areas. In turn, target groups are experts in specific fields, novice researchers, and decision-makers. Other vital information includes a sample outline and an example of an article review paper, the dos and don’ts, and essential tips for writing this type of text. Therefore, reading this guideline prepares one to write an outstanding article review paper that meets the instructor’s expectations and satisfies the rules of academic writing.

General Aspects of How to Write an Outstanding Article Review Paper & Example

Students are individually responsible for excellent academic performance. Anyone in college must develop a mindset that promotes this noble goal. Writing is an activity that helps individuals in a learning institution to convert ideas into text, enhancing intellectual creativity. There are various types of essays that students write as part of ongoing or end-year assessments. Writing different types of papers require learners to review and apply what they have learned in class or private study to produce a logical document. Therefore, individuals must always endeavor to learn more because no one knows when such knowledge may prove valuable. This article outlines essential details that college students should read, comprehend, and utilize when writing an article review paper. Thus, reading this guideline equips one with valid knowledge that proves fundamental when writing this type of academic text.

How to Write an Article Review: Tips, Outline, Format, & Examples

Definition of What Is an Article Review and Its Meaning

An article review is a document that examines a literary text and summarizes it by addressing the most critical elements, such as the topic and its background, and its relevance. Ideally, scholars review articles to address specific issues that stand out, such as the author’s controversial or erroneous arguments. Students may need to start writing an article review to demonstrate critical thinking because such a task requires one to state what is in the text and evaluate it and its significance. Therefore, when reviewing an article, it means that one must use intellectual creativity to interrogate the author’s ideas and presume their intention. However, an article review differs from academic texts, like an argumentative essay , a research proposal or research paper , and reports, because students use an author’s content as subject material.

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Unique Structure Features of an Article Review

One reason why an article review differs from other scholarly texts is its set of unique features. The first is that it is based on an existing document. While writers begin other academic texts, like essays from scratch, students start writing their papers by reviewing the assigned source, or they search for it on their own. The second feature is a summary since writers focus on reading the article and highlighting the essential details, like the topic, thesis statement , and central ideas. The third unique feature is evaluation, while the purpose of an article review is not to report what the text says but evaluate its content from the reviewer’s perspective. In this case, people must know the topical area to assess the source. The fourth and most critical feature is significance because an article review must communicate the relevance of the text. In turn, students must incorporate all these four elements when writing an article review.

🔹 Title of an Article Review

An excellent article review must have a unique title. For example, an essay title should be informative, while the heading should include essential terms and indicate that the text is under review. In this case, the title of any article review paper should influence the audience to read the text. For instance, a compelling title should include a message about the review materials, and readers should understand the author’s goal. Thus, an article review must have a clear and relevant title.

🔹 Overview Paragraph or Introduction

The first paragraph of an article review must provide the background information on the source under investigation, like any college essay introduction presents a brief overview of the paper. In this case, the introductory section should include the title of the source under review and its authors, following the title case rule. Then, the introduction must describe the focus of the source, develops a knowledge question, and clarifies the organization of the text under evaluation. Along these lines, this paragraph must have a narrow focus on the relevant source. Therefore, the overview paragraph section must provide appropriate background information on the corresponding source and develop a research question.

🔹 Body of an Article Review or Its Content

The body of an article review must be relevant to the assigned source. For example, paragraph writing should present the material and method used in the source under consideration. In this case, some sections that people may consider when writing their papers reveal the data sources, research strategies, and selection criteria. Besides, the material and method sections should entail the number of studies included and statistical approaches used to analyze data. Thus, body paragraphs should cover the strategies used to gather and analyze data in the source under analysis.

🔹 Conclusion or Final Paragraph

Being the last section of an article review, the conclusion paragraph should answer the research question presented in the introductory paragraph and what the author intends to share. For instance, the conclusion should reveal the implication of the findings. Besides, this part of the paper should identify the interpretations by the author and unresolved knowledge questions. Thus, the ending paragraph must justify the research question identified in the introduction.

🔹 Reference List and Illustrations (Optional)

An excellent article review should contain a reference list to avoid plagiarism and illustrations that are optional. For example, the reference list should include the full bibliographic information of the evaluated sources to acknowledge credible sources . In turn, illustrations may help students to visualize the analyzed sources. For instance, a compelling article review paper may include concept maps. In turn, this method may help to show a clear relationship between perceptions and theories used by authors. Thus, this type of paper should acknowledge reliable sources and may include illustrations to enhance a better understanding of central concepts.

Possible Formatting Examples of Sources for an Article Review

Because an article review is a scholarly document, students must incorporate citations to indicate ideas they have borrowed from other scholars. There are four primary formatting styles: APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago/Turabian. Each style has unique features that make it distinct, although some of them have several similarities. When writing an article review, students should adopt the style their instructor explicitly specified. However, without such specifications, one should choose a style they have used before because they grasp the unique elements that the text should emphasize. These elements should appear in all formatting styles and include the author’s name, the source’s title, the date or year of publication, and the publisher’s name. All headings are in the title case for level one, two, and three headings across all the styles.

📕 APA (American Psychological Association) Formatting Style for an Article Review

The APA style is among the most common formatting styles for most academic texts. When using this style, students should focus on three aspects: outline, in-text citations, and References. The outline is the overall appearance of a document. Although most academic texts have a three-part outline (introduction, body, conclusion), writers use headings and subheadings to organize their work logically. Rules for APA headings require students to bold and center the first-level headings, bold and flush left the second-level headings, and bold, italicize, and flush left the third-level headings. In-text citations should capture the author’s surname, year of publication, and paragraph or page number. Essential details for entries in the References page are the author’s surname, publication year in brackets, source’s title italicized in sentence case, and the publisher. The following examples for a review show APA References entries and corresponding in-text citations:

Web article ‘References’ entry:

Paluch, J., & Herrera, J. (2023, February 21). Homeless populations are rising around California . Public Policy Institute of California. https://www.ppic.org/blog/homeless-populations-are-rising-around-california/

In-text citation at the end of a sentence:

(Paluch & Herrera, 2023, para. 2).

Scholarly or scientific article under review:

Somerville, P. (2013). Understanding homelessness. Housing, Theory, and Society , 30 (4), 384-415. https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2012.756096

News article under review:

Kang, J. C. (2023, July 2). What does California’s homeless population actually look like. The New Yorker . https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-does-californias-homeless-population-actually-look-like

📕 MLA (Modern Language Association) Formatting Style for an Article Review

Students should focus on the most critical features when adopting the MLA style to write an article review. They are the outline, in-text citations, and Works Cited. Concerning MLA format heading , writers should ensure the first level is in the title case, bolded, and flushed left; the second is in the title case, bolded, italicized, and flushed left; and the third is bolded and centered in the title case. For in-text citations, students should capture the author’s name and the paragraph or page number. However, for entries on the works cited page, one should provide more details, including the author’s name, the article in the title case, the publisher in italics, and the publication year. The following examples for a review show Works Cited entries for various sources:

Web article ‘Works Cited’ entry:

Paluch, Jennifer, and Joseph Herrera. “Homeless Populations Are Rising Around California.” Public Policy Institute of California , 2023, https://www.ppic.org/blog/homeless-populations-are-rising-around-california/

(Paluch and Herrera para. 2).

Somerville, Peter. “Understanding Homelessness.” Housing, Theory, and Society, vol. 30, no. 4, 2013, pp. 384-415, https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2012.756096.

Kang, Jay Caspian. “What Does California’s Homeless Population Actually Look Like.” The New Yorker , 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-does-californias-homeless-population-actually-look-like

📕 Harvard Formatting Style for an Article Review

The Harvard formatting style resembles the APA style in some aspects. When using this style, an article reviewer should focus on the outline, in-text citations, and the References List. Regarding the outline, writers should bold and center the first-level headings and write it in the title case. They should equally bold the second-level headings and write them in the title case but flush it left. Lastly, students should indent and bold the third-level headings but write them in sentence case. They should begin writing after the period. In-text citations should have the name of the author, publication year, and page or paragraph number. The essential details for entries in the References List are the author’s name, the publication year, the source, and the publisher. Such entries for a review should appear differently for various sources as follows:

Web article ‘References List’ entry:

Paluch, J and Herrera, J 2023, ‘Homeless populations are rising around California,’ Public Policy Institute of California . Available from: <https://www.ppic.org/blog/homeless-populations-are-rising-around-california/>. [13 August 2023].

(Paluch & Herrera 2023, para. 2).

Somerville, P 2013, ‘Understanding homelessness,’ Housing, Theory, and Society , vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 384-415. https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2012.756096.

Kang, JC 2023, ‘What does California’s homeless population actually look like,’ The New Yorker . Available from: < https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-does-californias-homeless-population-actually-look-like>. [13 August 2023].

📕 Chicago/Turabian Formatting Style for an Article Review

The Chicago/Turabian formatting style is similar to the MLA style in some aspects. When writing an article review, students should focus on the outline, in-text citations, and the Bibliography. Regarding the outline, they should center and bold the first-level headings and write them in the title case. They should also center and write the second-level headings in the title case without the boldface. Finally, writers should bold and flush left the third-level headings and ensure they are in the title case. In-text citations should appear in the footnotes, while the most critical elements for Bibliography entries are the author’s name, the source’s title, the publisher, and the publication year. These entries for a review should read as follows for various sources:

Web article ‘Bibliography’ entry:

In-text citation appears in the footnote as:

Jennifer Paluch and Joseph Herrera, “Homeless Populations Increasing in California,” Public Policy Institute of California , 2023, par. 6, https://www.ppic.org/blog/homeless-populations-are-rising-around-california/.

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Common Types of Article Reviews

Article reviews come in different forms precisely because different sources are emerging across multiple platforms daily. The common platforms include the Web, online publications, news outlets, and online databases. Therefore, when reviewing an article, students should consider the platform upon which it exists because such details must appear when formatting the paper.

The Web is the most robust platform for scholarly and other types of documents. Ideally, anyone who writes an article can post it on this platform because of fewer rules or limitations, such as the need for a standard text. As such, students can access all types of documents on the Web, including articles addressing various societal issues like homelessness. Bloggers view the Web as the ideal place to spread ideas because of the enormous traffic of people that visit it daily. When reviewing articles from the Web, students should understand that such documents can be academically valid or invalid depending on the author. The best way to determine an article’s intellectual validity is to consider the author’s credentials. What they write must be valid if they are scholars, such as architects, physicians, or software engineers.

Online Publications

Online publications for a review include journals and magazines that provide professionals with a good place to share ideas and review them. Almost every profession has an online journal or magazine where individuals in the trade and those interested in it can exchange thoughts regarding various issues. For example, the scientific community has New Scientist , Architectural Digest , and Tech Briefs , which are online magazines where people interested in essay topics in science, architecture, and engineering can find intellectually nourishing articles. As such, writings on these online platforms are academically valid because the authors are professionals with experience in diverse fields. When reviewing such articles, students should not be casual but intellectually alert because those who consume their work may want to know how they appraise or critique a text by a professional.

Online News Outlets

With the Internet becoming the most accessible educational platform in the world in contemporary society, news organizations have developed online outlets to keep the public informed at all times. The advantage of these outlets for a review is that the public can read about breaking news before the mainstream broadcast and print media can communicate. Although news articles are not scholarly, they are academically valid because they undergo editing by professional journalists. Generally, these reading materials are about emerging issues across diverse fields, including politics, economy, society, and international relations. Therefore, when reviewing news articles, students should consider their topical area and mention how the author addresses or fails to include the most critical details, such as the pressing needs of the public if the source is about politics.

Online Databases

Online databases are the primary reservoirs of research knowledge because they hold various research studies and credible sources. Like online publications that are professionally based, these platforms are discipline-based. In other words, each online database is unique because it contains reliable articles within a specific field of study, such as anthropology, psychology, sociology, political science, law, and linguistics. Therefore, when reviewing research articles, students should find out the database they belong. However, since most researches exist in different databases, writers should focus on the journal that publishes the article. As previously stated, the journal’s name should appear in the citation at the end of the document. Examples of online databases where students can access research articles for a review include JSTOR, EBSCO, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and others. Since most of these databases require students to have access credentials, most scholars use Google Scholar to find specific articles for their reviews.

Examples of Topics for Writing an Article Review

Based on the preceding sections, students can review articles from various platforms. The most important thing to note is that each platform specializes in a particular discipline, such as sociology or political science. Typically, instructors specify the assigned article students should review. However, they may sometimes choose reading materials themselves. The following are possible examples of topics for writing an article review paper that students can choose because they are based on articles.

Review a research article, “Sex Differences Across Developmental Domains in Children With a Familial Risk of Severe Mental Disorders,” authored by Birgitte Klee Burton and colleagues, and explain the significance of the life continuum.
What does Daniel Warton see as the real problem in American Politics in the article “‘Ripe for Political Violence’: US Election Officials Are Quitting at an Alarming Rate.”
What does Chika Anekwe prescribe for physical fitness in the article “Can Fitness Counter Fatness.”
What is Medha Mehta’s main message in the article “Hard Work Is the Key to Success…Or Is It Not?”
Write an article review for “Administrators and Accountability: The Plurality of Value Systems in the Public Domain” by Udo Pesch.

Outline Sample Template for Writing a Good Article Review Paper

I. introduction section of an article review.

Introduce the article and rationale for the review. Students should state why the article’s topic is essential, such as addressing a social issue.
Clearly define what the review will discuss. Writers outline the order in which they will review each aspect of the article, such as the title, author, content, and significance.
State the thesis. People communicate their main focus in reviewing the article, such as critiquing it.

II. Body Paragraphs Section

For each of the body paragraphs, students should incorporate:

A topic sentence : The student communicates an idea that supports the thesis.
Evidence: The student includes quotes or paraphrases information in the article, following the referencing rules.
Evaluation: The student evaluates the information from the assigned article to make an argument, such as critique the author.
A concluding sentence: It is a statement that summarizes the student’s thinking about the article under review.
Transition: This sentence concludes the paragraph with a statement establishing a logical flow to the next paragraph or section.

III. Conclusion Section

Remind the reader of the purpose of the review by rewording the thesis statement.
Briefly mention the main points as they appear in body paragraphs, following their order.
Make a final remark about the article under review that is intellectually stimulating.

Example of an Article Review Paper

Topic: Write an article review for “Administrators and Accountability: The Plurality of Value Systems in the Public Domain” by Udo Pesch

I. Introduction Sample for an Article Review

Udo Pesch’s article, “Administrators and Accountability: The Plurality of Value Systems in the Public Domain,” emphasizes the significance of the interplay between accountability and value systems in public administrators’ decision-making process. The researcher’s primary focus is whether society should hold public administrators accountable and responsible for their decisions. In this respect, Pesch’s article considers the various influences that impact public administrators’ decisions.

II. Example of the First Body Paragraph Review

From the start, Pesch points out that accountability in decision-making is a challenging matter in public administration. The article under review clarifies that codes of ethics are essential accountability systems in organizations because they define expected behaviors. As such, these explicit ethical systems influence people’s actions in the workplace and even elsewhere. However, the author cautions that differences between one’s moral values and the terms of the ethical codes can trigger conflict often characterized by a blatant failure to follow policies. In turn, public administrators’ motivations and inability to perceive the consequences of their decisions are the primary factors that complicate accountability.

III. Example of the Second Body Paragraph Review

The social context is another factor influencing public administrators’ sense of accountability. According to Pesch, diverse ethical domains in the social environment prescribe “their own standards of good and bad behavior.” In this respect, individuals operate in a social setting without clearly understanding what attitudes, behaviors, and actions they should demonstrate. This lack of clarity about ethical standards explains why many administrators make bad decisions or refuse to submit to accountability frameworks for reviewing them. Ideally, people feel trapped in a system that demands more without moral support. For example, while top leadership understands what they must do to be accountable, those at lower levels do not. This gap occurs because organizations invest heavily in top leadership, such as training seminars, but view lower cadre employees as the support base.

IV. Example of the Third Body Paragraph Review

In commenting about the context that makes accountability a complicated matter in public administration, Pesch blames the lack of universal moral codes as why this is the norm. According to the article, public administrators often violate codes of ethics because they do not believe a universal moral code demands civil servants “to live up to integrity standards.” For most administrators, laws and organizational procedures are perfect for holding individuals accountable. The author argues that acknowledging that civil servants have a sense of responsibility is the most effective approach in designing accountability frameworks like codes of ethics under review. However, this is not the case in most contexts because these accountability systems do not address the potential differences between authorized rules and universal principles of good behavior.

V. Conclusion Sample of an Article Review

Overall, Pesch’s article systematically addresses the issues that complicate the sense of accountability in public administration. The source identifies people’s moral values, ethical codes, and the social environment as the principal factors influencing civil servants’ sense of accountability. Pesch is adamant that codes of ethics are insufficient to motivate civil servants to be accountable and responsible because there is no universal understanding of ethical or moral behavior.

4 Easy Steps for Writing an Article Review Paper

Academic activities can be time-consuming and mentally challenging. While the former is easy to manage because one can be flexible, the latter is complicated and has little room for maneuver. Writing falls in this latter category because producing an article review is a complex process requiring students to grasp technical details. Notably, from times when an instructor tells students they need to write this type of text to when they submit completed work, several things must happen to ensure the final product is of high standard. The technical details one should focus on fall within four stages of writing: preparation, stage set-up, actual writing, and wrap-up. While some steps are simple, others are complex and require students’ utmost focus.

Step 1: Preparation

Like any vital activity or process, writing an article review should begin with preparation. In this initial step of writing, students should choose their article to review if the instructor has not explicitly specified what the class should use. One needs to select a good source from an online database if the requirement is to review a research article. The next task is to generate ideas through brainstorming sessions with classmates or peers. This activity should happen with the audience of an assigned source in mind. Writers need to review an article in a manner that makes sense to those who will consume their work. As such, students should produce an intellectually stimulating document. When writing an article review, people should know why they are writing it: appraise, critique, or summarize.

Step 2: Stage Set-Up

The next step of writing an article review paper is to set up the stage, meaning making the necessary arrangements to initiate the writing process. Students should search for a good article on the relevant platform while writing an article review. In essence, one should use the article’s title as the keyword to browse the Web or search online databases. However, if students choose their sources, they should use the study area, such as sociology or psychology, as their keywords. The next activity is to read articles available online while noting essential information, such as the author’s name and credentials, the topical area, the thesis, key concepts, and central arguments. Students also should create a clear essay outline comprising three main sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. Lastly, they should undertake expanded research to critique the chosen article under review.

Step 3: The Writing Process

The third step is to initiate the actual writing of an article review, where one puts ideas into paper. In this stage, article reviewers should focus on producing an initial draft by translating all the ideas they have generated into text. Since some ideas may need to be more for the length of an article review paper, students should search for more sources to generate additional points of discussion or analysis. However, deleting some sources may be necessary if the ideas are too many for a single article. Students can also replace sources if they find new ones with better, convincing content. A possible outcome of adding or deleting sources is the alteration of the outline. For example, one may add new body paragraphs to accommodate more ideas. Students should focus on their outlines when writing the first draft because it determines whether an article review document meets essential requirements.

Writing an Introduction for an Article Review Paper

The introduction is the first part of an article review. When writing this section, students should focus on three things: introducing the title and author(s), clarifying the primary focus of the evaluation, and creating a clear thesis. The first element concerns the source’s title under review and who wrote it, while the second concerns what the text is about, such as appraising, critiquing, or summarizing the article under review. The third element is where students state their focus emphatically to establish the ground for the ideas in body paragraphs. As a result, when writing the introduction of their article review paper, students should know their goal is to analyze an existing text and inform readers how they intend to accomplish this task.

Writing Body Paragraphs for an Article Review Paper

The body of an article review paper is the most comprehensive section because it comprises the ideas that writers use to analyze an existing document. In this respect, its main feature is body paragraphs, which may be two or more depending on the requirements of the paper’s length. While all body paragraphs capture different content, they have a uniform outline. The first element is the topic sentence, which means words that students use to open the section. This sentence must emphasize a central idea that reminds readers about the thesis. The next element is evidence from the source, such as a quote, since people need to include author’s statements, arguments, or other evidence for analysis. The third element is the evaluation of the evidence, which is the point at which students review articles. The final elements are a concluding sentence and a transition, and they help readers to connect to the next paragraph or section.

Writing a Conclusion Part for an Article Review

Every academic text must have a final paragraph like conclusion examples , the stage at which writers complete the writing process. In this stage, writers should summarize their work by restating the thesis using different words and emphasizing the main points in body paragraphs. The last element is a final remark that allows writers to judge the chosen reading material using their own words. Students must understand that they must refrain from introducing new ideas at this stage. Therefore, when writing this part, one should focus on reminding readers of what they have read, emphasizing the most critical aspects of the article under review.

Step 4: Wrap Up

The last activity in writing any document is to wrap it up by ensuring its content follows a logical order . Students should wrap up article review papers by perfecting the initial draft. The primary focus at this stage is eliminating all flaws that might affect the article review paper’s quality, such as missing citations and punctuation or inconsistent arguments and ideas. Ideally, students perfect their documents by revising sections that seem illogical and editing sections to ensure they align with the initial outline. The greatest focus should be on body paragraphs because that is where students execute their objectives. Some details one should confirm include topic sentences, correct citing, concluding sentences, transition, and formatting. Formatting is critical because citations are a crucial feature of body paragraphs. In turn, students should cite all information from the source and other documents, following APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian paper formats .

20 Tips for Writing an Article Review Paper

Based on the preceding sections, writing an article review paper is complex and technical. As such, students need to learn how to simplify the process because writing this type of text is a norm in college education. Generally, students should choose a source of interest that is less complicated in terms of language, identify and summarize the central ideas of the text, appraise and critique the document, and comment on the source’s significance for the area of study.

10 ‘Things to Do’ When Writing an Article Review Are:

choose a well-defined topic,
thoroughly search the literature to find the right article,
create an outline,
develop a thesis,
formulate the topic sentences,
extract information (evidence) from the article (quotes),
evaluate the information,
create a first draft,
perfect the draft to create a final paper,
proofread the final document.

10 ‘Not to Do Things’ Are:

do not choose an easy topic,
do not pick articles that are not academically stimulating,
do not skip writing the outline,
do not generate ideas not backed by evidence,
do not assume what the article says,
do not be rigid in accommodating new ideas,
do not consider sources that are not scholarly,
do not simply summarize the article,
do not ignore formatting rules,
do not use informal language.

Summing Up on How to Write a Perfect Article Review Paper

An article review analyzes specific literature and targets experts in particular fields, novice researchers, and decision-makers. Basically, such papers should have a unique structure that helps to communicate important concepts. In this case, the acceptable structure of article reviews contains a compelling title, introduction, relevant body paragraphs, conclusion, and references. As a result, students should learn essential tips for producing a high-standard article review paper:

The first tip is to choose a topic one has studied in class or private study. Doing so helps in idea generation because students have previous knowledge in their heads.
The second tip is to choose an article one can support using scholarly sources. The best approach is to focus on online publications and databases because they contain scholarly articles.
The third tip is to follow the standard outline: introduction, body, and conclusion.
The fourth tip is to generate ideas using evidence from the article under review. One must understand that an article review can be done without creating new knowledge.
The fifth tip is to consult widely through research to ensure the content is intellectually engaging.
Other tips include incorporating expert opinion into the body paragraphs, creating logical sentences, correcting grammatical and formatting errors, and eliminating the illogical flow of ideas and thoughts.

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Knowledge Base

Methodology

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

Search for relevant literature
Evaluate sources
Identify themes, debates, and gaps
Outline the structure
Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

Quick Run-through
Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

Your university’s library catalogue
Google Scholar
Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
EconLit (economics)
Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

What question or problem is the author addressing?
What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
What are the key theories, models, and methods?
Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
What are the results and conclusions of the study?
How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

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To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

Most research has focused on young women.
There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Sampling methods
Simple random sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
Likert scales
Reproducibility

Statistics

Null hypothesis
Statistical power
Probability distribution
Effect size
Poisson distribution

Research bias

Optimism bias
Cognitive bias
Implicit bias
Hawthorne effect
Anchoring bias
Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An annotated bibliography is a list of source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a paper .

Cite this Scribbr article

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McCombes, S. (2023, September 11). How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/

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Writing Article Review -Meaning, Uses, types, structure and 6 Steps to writing an article review

What is an article review.

An article review is a piece of writing which summarizes one’s general understanding of a desired topic or subject matter. In other words, it is an article written for the sole aim of summarizing, examining and evaluating previously published studies regarding a particular subject matter.

Content Outline

It is written for an audience knowledgeable in the general subject matter of the reviewed article, that way, it will be easier for the audience to either agree or disagree with the writer’s views on the proposed topic.

An Article review is an academic article which summarizes the current state of understanding regarding a particular topic. It can also be regarded as a piece of writing which contains the different theories, research methods and conclusions from specific scholars regarding a particular topic.

Hence, an Article review can be regarded as a secondary source of information because it does not contain new analysis or theories concerning the subject matter of the research, it only includes past research which has been conducted on behalf of the subject matter.

What is the purpose of an article review?

The general purpose of article reviews includes the following:

It serves as a medium for one to express his/her views regarding the written work of another scholar or writer.
It gives prospective readers an insight into the reviewed work, hence, making them decide whether or not to read the work.
It serves as a forum for scholars to exchange ideas or views regarding the reviewed work.

What is the use of an Article Review?

In academic writing, an Article review is used for the following:

It is used by both lecturers and students as a tool for the proper analysis and evaluation of a particular topic.
Since it contains different theories and views of the subject matter, it gives scholars a much better understanding of the subject matter.
It is used to criticize and create new ideas as well as conclusions on a particular topic.
It is used to single out the loopholes in a particular theory or ideology.
It is used to identify the core theories and ideologies regarding a particular subject matter.
It is used to identify the current state of understanding regarding a particular subject matter.

What are the types of Article Reviews?

An article review can be grouped into three main categories namely:

Research Article Review.
Journal Article Review.
Science Article Review.

What is the structure of an Article review?

Just like other forms of academic writing, the main structure of an Article review includes:

Introduction.
Conclusion.

Writing the Introductory part of an Article Review:

The introductory part of an Article review can be written in the following steps:

Write the Topic of the Article Review:

It is important to notify the readers or lecturers about the topic of the article review right at the beginning. If you were not given a specific topic for your Article review, you can start out by selecting the right topic for the article review. While selecting a topic, note the following points:

The topic should be related to a popular subject matter in your discipline.
The topic should be of interest to both you and your reader/lecturer. This way, it will be easy to source for past scholarly works relating to the topic and read them with an open mind. Similarly, it ought to be of interest to your reader/lecturer so that he/she will be able to go through the review with an adequate amount of gusto.
Cite past scholarly work.

This is a very important aspect of the article review, in fact, the reliance, summarizing and criticism of past scholarly work relating to the subject matter is what makes the academic piece a review. Note that citations differ depending on your discipline.

For instance, students in Psychology and other social science-related disciplines will use the APA referencing style. Whereas, the students in Film and Theatre studies and other Arts related topics will make use of the MLA formatting style. Remember to use the updated versions of these referencing styles to cite the article review.

A clear illustration of the first two stages of the introductory part of an Article review includes:

THE ADVANTAGES OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA.

Articles Reviewed:

Abdulrahman.,A(2021). Intellectual Property, SMEs and Economic Recovery in Nigeria.

If you are asked to review different topics relating to a singular subject matter and you are asked to review more than five articles. Structure your introduction in the following way:

Places the articles under different subheadings.
Arrange the articles in Alphabetical order or according the the order required of the referencing style in your designated discipline.

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA.

Abioye.,O.,Oguniyi.,A.,Olagunju.,K(2020). Estimating the Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Scale Enterprise: Evidence from Nigeria.

Eze.,F.,Ikenna.,Ruhode.,E.,Iwu.,G.,Chux(2018). A Critical look at the necessity of small businesses in Nigeria. A theoretical review.

(CONCLUSION)

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN AFRICA.

(Citations)

(Conclusion)

Writing the body of an Article Review:

The body of an Article review can be written in the following steps:

Identify the Scholarly Work:

The article review must always commence with the proper referencing of the name of the scholarly work, the author and the date that the work was published.

For example:

The article ‘ Intellectual Property, SMEs and Economic Recovery in Nigeria’ by Abdulrahman.,A(2021)

After commencing in this manner, the writer can move on to the next step of the article review.

State the main thesis of the reviewed scholarly work and the reason why such work was written:

After identifying the scholarly work, the next step will be to establish the main thesis of the author as well as the reason why such an article was written. Words like ‘aims’, ‘relies on’, ‘establishes’ and so on, can be used as a conjunction between the last step and this current one.

The article ‘ Intellectual Property, SMEs and Economic Recovery in Nigeria’ by Abdulrahman.,A(2021) relies on the stagnation of the Nigerian economy and provides valid solutions which can amount to its growth.

Summarize the article:

Most scholarly articles tend to be vast in size and oftentimes, an article review can only contain a specific amount of words. Hence, it will be quite impossible for one to summarize the whole article in most cases. In order to go around the issue, the writer can identify the vital areas in the article.

For example, if the article centres on the problems and solutions revolving around the subject matter, the writer can provide a brief summary of both the problems and solutions and sieve out the unnecessary parts in the article. In order for the writer to be able to do this efficiently, he/she must:

Pick out a familiar topic.
Understand the topic.
Read, understand and evaluate the articles relating to the topic thoroughly.
Criticize the reviewed Article:

This is one of the most important aspects in the body of the article review. In order to adequately get the job done in this section, the writer must:

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the article.
Ascertain whether or not the message which was passed by the author was as clear and concise as possible.
Evaluate the main points and arguments in the article.
Ascertain whether or not these arguments are relevant to the subject matter and its designated discipline.
Identify any area of contradiction or bias in the research.
Decide whether or not to agree with the author’s ideology relating to the topic.

In order to make these points more realistic, the writer can rely on the arguments or main points in the article or in other related articles. However, remember that all the articles which were relied on during the course of the criticism ought to be properly referenced, in order to avoid plagiarism.

Writing the Concluding part of the Article Review:

In order to properly conclude an article review, the writer must:

Summarize the main points of the article.
Summarize his/her final views of the reviewed article.
Briefly state the level of accuracy which ought to be affiliated with the research.
State the significance of further research relating to the article, if necessary.

Step-by-step guidelines for writing an Article Review

In order to compose a well-structured article review, the following measures must be taken accordingly, they include:

Commence with an Article Review Outline

In a nutshell, an outline can be defined as a summarized structure of what an academic piece of writing ought to look like. In other words, it is a brief piece of writing composed for the sole aim of directing the writer on what to write in his/her proposed article and how to go about it.

An outline is composed by the writer of the article review. In order to produce an outline, the writer must, first of all, have a general insight about the article that he/she ought to review.

That way, it will be easier to create, recreate and arrange subheadings for the article review in the outline. Hence, a writer is advised to conduct proper research or have proper knowledge of the article he/she ought to write a review about before commencing the writing process.

It should be noted that the use of outlines in academic writing is not restricted to the composition of article reviews only, in fact, students or scholars are advised to draft an outline before writing any academic piece.

Write the header with a citation

A header is a continuous line of text which is inputted at the top of a page. It ought to include the writer’s identification as well as the title of the work and its page number. An ideal article review ought to include a header that will contain the necessary information as regards the writer’s identity as well as a citation of the work or piece which is under review. The referencing style which will be used for the citation of the piece under review entirely depends on the discipline to which the piece belongs.

For example , if the writer ought to review an academic piece revolving around the social sciences discipline, the whole paper and the citation of the book under review ought to be composed in APA style. Hence, the necessary credentials needed for APA style includes the author’s last name, the title of the article, the name of the journal in which the article belongs, volume and issue numbers as well as the page numbers of the article.

Kick-off with a summary of the article

The summary of the article under review ought to be inculcated in the introductory part of the review. The introductory part of the review will also provide a brief overview in regard to the topics that will be discussed in detail in the body of the review.

Such topics could include the intention of the author while composing the piece, the strengths and weaknesses of the written piece, whether or not the subject matter of the article was aptly understood and agreed upon, how the article related to other works published under the same veil and so on.

It should be noted that an ideal article ought to contain five chapters, one for the introduction, three for the body of the review and one for the conclusion. Additional paragraphs can be included as a means of proper evaluation of the work, however, depending on its nature and scope.

Writing the body of the Review

As fore mentioned in the text, the body of the review ought to critically examine the opinions of the writer regarding the article under review. In other words, the main duty of the writer in this section is to criticize the article under review. The term ‘criticize under this veil is to expose the strengths, weaknesses, achievements and limitations of the article.

Similarly, the writer of the article review ought to provide a standardized percentage of the knowledge that the initial author of the work has contributed to a particular field.

After critically analyzing the work, the writer decides whether or not to support the points or views provided by the author in the original article and states the reasons behind the decision taken.

Draft a Conclusion

Before the commencement of this section, the writer is advised to go back to the article review he/she has composed and bring out its key points. The key points in this context refer to the findings and criticisms stated in the body of the work.

If the writer does this, it will be easier to provide a concise summary of the body of the review as well as the relevance of these findings in the conclusion. The writer is not permitted to introduce any new points in this section, instead, he/she should figure out the best way to wrap up the review with its past provisions.

Proofread the written work

To proofread simply means to cross-check the work in the bid to eliminate errors that were not previously identified. The errors in this context could refer to sentences, punctuation and spelling mistakes.

Although this last step is often neglected by both students and scholars alike, it plays an important role in any form of academic writing. Hence, the writer is advised to reread the works and eliminate ideas as well as unnecessary or overused words in the article. If the article emerges spotless, it is ready for submission.

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Writing a Literature Review

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis ). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research ( scholarship ) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines’ purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline’s conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they’re interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars’ lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.

Introduction:

An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is
A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review
Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)
Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
Analyze and interpret: Don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance
Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

Chronological : The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
Thematic : If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
Qualitative versus quantitative research
Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
Theoretical : In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don’t be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you’re writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources .

As you’re doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document ). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you’ll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don’t have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.
Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?
Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often
Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn’t work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

Libraries | Research Guides

Literature reviews, what is a literature review, learning more about how to do a literature review.

Planning the Review
The Research Question
Choosing Where to Search
Organizing the Review
Writing the Review

A literature review is a review and synthesis of existing research on a topic or research question. A literature review is meant to analyze the scholarly literature, make connections across writings and identify strengths, weaknesses, trends, and missing conversations. A literature review should address different aspects of a topic as it relates to your research question. A literature review goes beyond a description or summary of the literature you have read.

Sage Research Methods Core Collection This link opens in a new window SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. SAGE Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. – Publisher

Next: Planning the Review >>
Last Updated: Jan 17, 2024 10:05 AM
URL: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/literaturereviews

University of Texas Libraries

Literature Reviews

What is a literature review?
Steps in the Literature Review Process
Define your research question
Determine inclusion and exclusion criteria
Choose databases and search
Review Results
Synthesize Results
Analyze Results
Librarian Support

What is a Literature Review?

A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices. It provides background and context, and shows how your research will contribute to the field.

A literature review should:

Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature;
Explain why this review has taken place;
Articulate a position or hypothesis;
Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

From S age Research Methods

Purpose of a Literature Review

A literature review can be written as an introduction to a study to:

Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
Compare a study with other research that's been done

Or it can be a separate work (a research article on its own) which:

Organizes or describes a topic
Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Limitations of a Literature Review

Some of the limitations of a literature review are:

It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. There may be future developments that could make your work less relevant.
It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to make sure all the literature on a topic was considered.
It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Source: Grant, Maria J., and Andrew Booth. “A Typology of Reviews: An Analysis of 14 Review Types and Associated Methodologies.” Health Information & Libraries Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2009, pp. 91–108. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x.

Meryl Brodsky : Communication and Information Studies

Hannah Chapman Tripp : Biology, Neuroscience

Carolyn Cunningham : Human Development & Family Sciences, Psychology, Sociology

Larayne Dallas : Engineering

Janelle Hedstrom : Special Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Ed Leadership & Policy

Susan Macicak : Linguistics

Imelda Vetter : Dell Medical School

For help in other subject areas, please see the guide to library specialists by subject .

Periodically, UT Libraries runs a workshop covering the basics and library support for literature reviews. While we try to offer these once per academic year, we find providing the recording to be helpful to community members who have missed the session. Following is the most recent recording of the workshop, Conducting a Literature Review. To view the recording, a UT login is required.

October 26, 2022 recording
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2022 2:49 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/literaturereviews

An illustration of Ada Limon shows a woman in her 40s with shoulder-length black hair, parted on the side, wearing a pink blouse and dangling earrings.

By the Book

Ada Limón Won’t Let Prose Touch the Poetry on Her Shelves

“I mean that as an organizing principle,” says the U.S. poet laureate, who has edited a new anthology of nature poetry called “You Are Here,” “and also as a slight against prose.”

Credit... Rebecca Clarke

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What books are on your night stand?

My night stand doesn’t speak to me anymore. That’s because, here’s the truth: I don’t read at night. The night stand is where books go to die. I think that I’ll read something before bed and then I immediately fall asleep, so the real question is, what books are on my desk? Right now that’s “Eve,” by Cat Bohannon; “Martyr!,” by Kaveh Akbar; Mosab Abu Toha’s “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear”; “You Can Be the Last Leaf,” by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat; and an advance copy of “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” by Amy Tan.

How do you organize your books?

I put them in piles during my busy travel months, then I cry and stomp when the piles feel unwieldy, and then my husband ponders if I should get rid of a few, but I will not do that, and then, very methodically I alphabetize them. I also separate them by genres. Prose cannot touch poetry in my little world. And I mean that as an organizing principle and also as a slight against prose.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

I’d be reading a book in some sun-filled spot outside, while knowing every human being is safe, cared for, fed, beloved, and all wars have ended. And in our new manifested world that celebrates humanity, interconnectedness, nature and peace, I can sit outside under the oak trees and savor every line of a poem. And the music of the poem will sing back to the music of the world. That’s my ideal reading experience.

Are you able to write outside, in nature, or only at a desk?

I love writing outside. When I’m home in Kentucky, I write on my screened-in porch, that is if it’s warm enough. I love to fill the feeder and watch the birds in between writing lines of poems. Through the years, I’ve trained myself to write anywhere. Planes, hotel rooms — anywhere, really. Though it helps if there is silence. Or sounds of nature.

How did you decide whom to commission for the new anthology?

I chose the poets that I knew had recently been working in interesting ways with the subject of nature. I feel so lucky with the final collection. It’s even more powerful than I imagined.

Did anyone say no? What reason did they give?

There were exactly four poets that said no. They are all wonderful writers who were torn in too many directions by the demands of life to produce something new for the anthology. Life doesn’t always allow writers to write.

Did you line-edit or advise on specific language choices?

Along with the wonderful editor (and poet) Bailey Hutchinson, I went through each poem and made a few minor suggestions. For the most part, just gentle nudges here and there. All of these poets are excellent and sent in gorgeous, complete poems.

“A place I love is about to disappear,” one poem begins. Did you expect the collection to be so melancholy?

I don’t think the book is melancholy at all. The word “melancholy” often infers no obvious cause, just a general sort of sadness. That’s not present in this book. I do think it’s full of solastalgia, which is defined as the “distress caused by environmental change,” and I also think the book is full of an urgent praise, the way you can love something so dearly because it’s leaving or changing.

What’s the last book that made you cry?

“Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts” by Crystal Wilkinson is a cookbook and a memoir combined that celebrates generations of Black women in Appalachia. Wilkinson always has a way of saying it true and making me weep.

Do you count any books as guilty pleasures?

Oh yes, Anne Rice was a great guilty pleasure of mine. All things vampires and witches, anything with magic. What a gift those books were for me as a teenager. In some ways they were as foundational as some of the canonical books I read in school.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a poem in this volume?

One wonderful thing I learned about was from Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s poem, “Heliophilia”: Rhubarb makes a wild popping or crackling noise when it grows in the dark. Now I’ve seen videos of this occurrence and I love it. We have yet to truly understand the language of plants.

Did any of the poems make you want to travel to their settings?

Many: Victoria Chang’s poem set in Alaska, for example, and the desert landscape poems by Eduardo C. Corral and Rigoberto González. But for the most part the poems make me want to pay attention to wherever I am right now, to look deeply at what’s around me, and not miss it.

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Politics | Eileen O’Neill Burke: How she won and what it…

Politics | Eileen O’Neill Burke: How she won and what it might mean for the office of Cook County’s top prosecutor going forward

Cook County state's attorney candidate Eileen O'Neill Burke speaks during an appearance on March 11, 2024, at the City Club. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

After days of uncertainty, Eileen O’Neill Burke emerged as the choice of voters to be the Democratic nominee for Cook County state’s attorney, with the former prosecutor turned defense lawyer, circuit court judge and appellate judge squeaking out a win by less than 1,600 votes.

O’Neill Burke bested Clayton Harris III, a former prosecutor himself who wound through City Hall and state government, academia and corporate lobbying. She will now face Republican Bob Fioretti in the November general election.

While any Republican is perceived as a long shot to win the post, whichever candidate comes out ahead is poised to transition the state’s attorney’s office into a new era after a period of unprecedented — and sometimes contentious — reforms implemented by outgoing top prosecutor Kim Foxx.

Should O’Neill Burke ultimately win, she would quickly face formulating her own reform agenda, making cases to tamp down Chicago’s persistent gun violence, and running an office struggling with morale issues.

“As much as numbers have gone down, the amount of street crime is extraordinarily high and has a tremendous impact on the community,” said Richard Kling, a clinical professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Based on the final hair-splitting results — which included 10 days of ballot counting following the March 19 primary — Democratic voters appeared evenly divided on whether more strident prosecutions or prioritization of diversion and prosecutorial discretion were the solution, said Jeremy Custer, the political director for Operating Engineers Local 150, which supported O’Neill Burke.

“You talk to every voter, whether perception was reality, crime was the No. 1 issue,” Custer said. “What this race boiled down to is, within the Democratic Party, there’s still a reckoning of: Is it root causes? Or do we need stronger law enforcement in holding criminals accountable?”

What’s next?

Transitions from one Cook County state’s attorney to the next are always fraught, said Alan Spellberg, a former assistant state’s attorney under multiple administrations, including Foxx and her predecessor, Anita Alvarez.

O’Neill Burke and Foxx spoke by the phone this week — a cordial call, both sides confirmed.

The office’s next prosecutor will enter during a period of particularly low morale among assistant state’s attorneys, said Spellberg, supervisor of the criminal appeals division until 2021.

He applauded Foxx’s reform-minded approach, but said prosecutors were “excluded” from the process.

“We were very much in support of the notion of reform, but wanted to be partners,” he said, adding that there “can be” disagreements on what reform is.

“If (assistant state’s attorneys) in a courtroom know what works and what doesn’t and you’re not even asking us what we think about the ideas, the ideas aren’t going to be well thought out and well executed,” Spellberg said.

Surrounded by elected officials, democratic nominee for Cook County state's attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke speaks at a victory event with supporters on April 1, 2024, at the Plumbers Local130 UA Training Center in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

O’Neill Burke ran a campaign more typical of a politician with a prosecutor background, less reform-focused than Foxx, Chicago-Kent’s Kling said.

O’Neill Burke’s stump positions included across-the-board requests for detention for certain crimes, for example.

“We will seek detention each and every time” someone is found with an assault weapon, threatens someone with a gun or commits a violent crime happens on the CTA, she told reporters Monday.

A blanket policy would be a departure from Foxx, who said the office weighs several factors when deciding detention requests under the new guidelines set by the SAFE-T Act. Though prosecutors commonly file detention petitions on offenses similar to those described by O’Neill Burke, they examine case-specific factors and request a defendant be held if they are considered a flight risk or pose a threat to public safety. Ultimately, the decision is up to the judge.

Another departure: O’Neill Burke pledged to reverse Foxx’s policy of raising the threshold for prosecuting felony retail theft from $300 to $1,000 — a key call from the business community, who said smash-and-grabs were threatening their bottom lines and customers’ feeling of safety. Though he noted the impact of theft on stores and community members, Kling said he doesn’t know “if there is the appetite to prosecute more (retail) felonies.”

“I think Eileen O’Neill Burke or any state’s attorney needs to direct primary forces to street crime,” he said.

Foxx launched the policy as one of many ways her office would move away from harsh prosecution of low-level crimes, noting that neighboring states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana all had higher thresholds.

Legal observers said the next top prosecutor will step in at a critical time for Chicago as it battles persistent violent crime and reckons with large volumes of potential wrongful-conviction cases.

It is unclear to what extent O’Neill Burke will change directions of Foxx’s lodestar Conviction Integrity Unit — which has overturned at least 250 cases — though O’Neill Burke did pledge to maintain it.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, left, listens as attorney Joshua Tepfer speaks regarding the move to vacate and dismiss drug charges against 18 men at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Sept. 24, 2018. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

Joshua Tepfer, an attorney with the Exoneration Project who handles wrongful convictions, said the incoming state’s attorney will have to grapple with Chicago’s history of systemic police abuse by officers like Reynaldo Guevara and Jon Burge.

“I’m hopeful that she’ll be interested in speaking with people like me and my colleagues to talk about what sort of issues we have in the pipeline, what sort of cases,” he said.

Going forward, Tepfer said he hopes to see the units looking at post-conviction matters staffed with people “willing to scrutinize any case that comes before it.”

O’Neill Burke’s campaign platform called for creation of a dedicated restorative justice bureau “where juvenile, veterans, drug and mental health courts will work with government agencies to get people help, let them cross-pollinate with various social service agencies and bring people back to society instead of being stuck in a life of crime.”

In an interview with the Tribune last month, O’Neill Burke also suggested she would seek to change the current restorative justice courts, located at three neighborhood sites in Chicago, arguing they had largely become gun deferral courts rather than dealing with juveniles, veterans or those dealing with drug addiction or mental health issues.

“Converting them to gun deferral isn’t contributing to restorative justice — it’s detracting, and it’s not making anyone safer,” O’Neill Burke said, pitching a dedicated courtroom for gun cases instead.

Such a change, though, was criticized by advocates at the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, who described it as a “misdirected waste of resources” and contended that framing the courts as drug courts is a misunderstanding of their purpose.

Appleseed put out a report earlier this year that recommended reforms, writing that the courts “are overseeing cases that would be better off dismissed from traditional prosecution at the outset,” such as low-level drug cases. The experimental courts located in Lawndale, Englewood and Avondale seek to provide a fairer version of justice than would be found at the county’s bustling courthouses. The tenets of restorative justice focus on participants making amends for the harm done to victims or the community.

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, right, speaks with graduate Jurrell Davis, center, along with graduates family members following the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court graduation ceremony at UCAN Chicago on Oct. 13, 2022. (Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune)

Programming for the restorative justice courts in recent years has intentionally moved away from drugs (the county also has drug, mental health and veterans courts that are distinct programs) because the victimless nature of drug offenses makes them less well-suited for restorative justice principles. Still, the program only accepts low-level and nonviolent crimes, and many of the gun offenses are faced by defendants who didn’t have proper licensing.

“Restorative justice models are uniquely positioned to address instances where harm has been done to another person or people — which is not the case with drug use or with simple gun possession,” an Appleseed spokeswoman said in a statement. “We look forward to working with whoever is elected as the next Cook County State’s Attorney to expand the eligibility criteria of the (courts) to include more charges that involve individual victims, so that the true healing power of restorative justice can be realized.”

The courts are under the auspices of the chief judge, but prosecutors decide which cases to defer to the restorative justice courts.

Matt Fakhoury, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, said it’s important for the next state’s attorney to also improve relations with the Chicago Police Department and rebuild morale in the office. The return of O’Neill Burke, a former prosecutor, if she prevails in the general election, would be like a homecoming, he said.

“Once you leave that office, you’re always a prosecutor and your heart’s always there,” he said.

How O’Neill Burke won

Some experts argued that the campaign was more nuanced than simply a tough-on-crime candidate facing off against a progressive reformer. Harris and O’Neill Burke both supported the landmark SAFE-T Act eliminating the use of cash bail and Foxx’s nonviolent offender diversion, wrongful conviction unit and restorative justice efforts. Both spoke about a need to reset relationships with police.

O’Neill Burke, though, hewed closer to a hard-charging message and became increasingly critical of Foxx. Harris’ campaign argued O’Neill Burke’s messaging allowed a more conservative support base to rally around her.

“If you think things are going just fine right now, I’m not your candidate,” she said during the sole televised debate of the primary campaign.

She also took a more hard-line stance on the office’s approach to gun crimes, carjackings and retail theft.

“The deterrence for crime is not the severity of punishment, it’s the certainty of a consequence,” she told the Tribune in June. “People have to be held accountable.”

An attendee at the election night gathering for Cook County state's attorney candidate Clayton Harris III watches television news coverage of the race at a restaurant in the 200 block of North Canal Street on March 19, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Harris was more vocally supportive of Foxx’s policies, but argued the office had to do a better job highlighting the cases it was already prosecuting and the victims it helped.

A university lecturer on race and policing, he warned reactive or hard and fast prosecutorial policies could have unintended consequences in communities of color.

“Historically, what we’ve seen is when people say ‘Safety, safety, safety’ and everyone gets behind it, what it looks like is they start rounding up people like me. They start rounding up Black and brown bodies or people that they don’t agree with,” Harris told supporters just before Election Day.

Harris and allies also repeatedly attacked O’Neill Burke for her handling of the 1994 prosecution of an 11-year-old Black boy in the slaying of his elderly white neighbor, and her response to it decades later.

Years later, the case was overturned. O’Neill Burke said she was never accused of any wrongdoing by a higher court and had no knowledge the boy’s confession was coerced.

Critics said her lack of regret over the case or a fulsome apology for describing the boy known as “A.M.” as part of a “new breed” of criminal at the time was a troubling reflection of how she could take the office backward on its efforts to overturn wrongful convictions.

“Voters of every background, especially voters of color, should find this irresponsible and reckless lack of judgment gravely concerning,” a January open letter from two dozen Black current and former elected officials read. Weeks later, O’Neill Burke told WGN it was “a terrible phrase.”

The case became a focus of Harris’ ads in the closing weeks of the campaign. But his ability to spread the message was dwarfed by O’Neill Burke’s campaign coffers, which close watchers consistently cited as a key advantage.

Cook County State's Attorney candidate Clayton Harris III, center left, attends a press conference at Quinn Chapel AME Church in Chicago on March 14, 2024, where he and area faith leaders, including Ira Acree, foreground, demanded that State's Attorney candidate Eileen Burke return the $5,000 campaign contribution she took from former Chicago Corporation Counsel Stephen Patton. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

The 2020 primary was a big money race as well: Foxx faced a political newcomer Bill Conway, a former prosecutor and Navy veteran who received a total of $10.5 million from his father, William E. Conway Jr., as well as $250,000 from Citadel founder Ken Griffin.

Foxx was still equipped to play defense. She received $1 million each from local Democrats Michael Sacks and Fred Eychaner, as well as a combined $850,000 from affiliates of SEIU, the Chicago Teachers Union, the Chicago Federation of Labor and other public sector unions like AFSCME. National liberal megadonor George Soros also steered $2 million to a political action committee to defend her.

Those same forces did not materialize for Harris. SEIU affiliates and the CTU did contribute to him, but their $200,000 was not close to the support Foxx garnered in 2020. CTU, one of the most vaunted political field operations in the city, also put more focus on the Bring Chicago Home referendum and the Illinois Senate race between Graciela Guzman and Natalie Toro, political operatives said.

While Eychaner gave Harris $157,000, Sacks — who had worked with Foxx when she was Preckwinkle’s chief of staff — has not made major campaign outlays since joining the host committee for the Democratic National Convention. Soros and other national progressive prosecutorial donors and organizations also stayed out.

Other high-profile progressive prosecutor races in Los Angeles, Houston and Austin, Texas, “had taken a lot of energy,” Foxx said. “I think this race did not rise to the same level of attention that those races did.”

O’Neill Burke’s contributions from business interests — local restaurateurs and investment firm leaders alike — included those who have given to both Democrats and Republicans. Between July and April, she raised $3.4 million, according to state records.

Harris raised $1.3 million in the same span, cash that “came in late and at a much lower rate, making it more difficult to respond to attacks,” spokeswoman Joanna Klonsky said. Taken with the lack of engagement from national criminal justice reform organizations “with a differential this small, that lack of support was a missed opportunity to make a substantial impact here.”

“There are 2,700 precincts in the county and we lost by less than one vote per precinct,” said Cook County Democratic Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle, an early Harris supporter. “We got outspent by $2 million, and it was a lot of Republican money that came in at the very end.”

Democratic candidates for Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, right, and Clayton Harris III, left, speak at an interview with members of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)

Those funds allowed O’Neill Burke to fill airwaves and mailboxes with ads about her courtroom credentials and status as a departure from Foxx, while portraying Harris as a corporate lobbyist and political insider aligned against workers’ rights and abortion access. In the waning days of the campaign, Harris and surrogates said they had to work to knock down those attacks as misleading. The abortion rights group Personal PAC echoed their concern, saying the ads about choice were “disheartening” given “abortion access is under attack all across the country.”

The state’s attorney’s office rarely intersects with abortion issues. O’Neill Burke’s pro-abortion-rights promises — that she would defend the county, patients and providers against attacks — were likely effective with women, said O’Neill Burke campaign spokeswoman Aviva Bowen, but just one in a constellation of factors that swayed voters.

John Catanzara, the controversial head of the local Fraternal Order of Police, also took credit for pushing O’Neill Burke over the line. He encouraged union members to pull Democratic — rather than Republican — primary ballots to support her. To what extent Republicans crossed over won’t be clear to the campaigns until voter files are updated, operatives said.

O’Neill Burke rejected Catanzara’s endorsement as professionally improper last month, but told reporters Monday that “if anybody went out and voted for me, feel free to take credit for it … because each and every vote mattered in this one.”

Some of O’Neill Burke’s heaviest areas of support were in Chicago wards typically home to first responders.

She also dominated across much of the northwest and southwest suburbs and outperformed expectations in progressive bastions, Bowen said. “She won the 47th Ward, New Trier, garnered significant shares of the vote in the 1st, 22nd, 40th and 46th wards, Oak Park and Evanston. I also think she did respectably in Black communities.”A WBEZ analysis of demographic data from precincts across the county found Harris won 76.6% of majority-Black precincts, short of Foxx’s 83.5% take in 2020.

“I think that people everywhere are concerned about violence and crime in their communities. And I think it was a question of messaging,” O’Neill Burke told reporters Monday when asked about low support for her on the South and West sides. “I think a lot of the concern was unfair, that I was going to be very hard on crime. I want to be effective. That doesn’t mean we’re going to lock everybody up. That means we’re going to implement programs that get people turned around. That’s my goal.”

Foxx said the demographic breakdown of the vote was unsurprising, but suggested those most affected by crime support a more nuanced and less rigid approach.

“I look at the wards and see where (Harris) carried in the city, those Black wards that have direct contact with the criminal justice system, who have high incidences of violence in their community, that those wards — with all the noise and rhetoric — still came out and said this is our candidate, it does say something,” Foxx said.

Scroll through the maps to see Democratic primary race results for Cook County state’s attorney in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections. Search by precinct or click on the map to see the vote share there.

Even so, Foxx told the Tribune she was frustrated that the racial impacts of tough-on-crime policies like low retail-theft thresholds were not fully addressed in the campaign, adding that her frank discussions of both concentrated violence and wrongful convictions resonated with Black voters. “When we pretend race in the system is not a thing, we go backwards,” she said.

Though Fioretti faces long odds in a county that has not elected a Republican to the office in more than two decades, he has already gone on the attack, describing his opponent as duplicitous. An attorney and former alderman, Fioretti previously ran for state’s attorney, Cook County Board president and state Senate as a Democrat.

In a Monday release, he said O’Neill Burke both “praised law enforcement or rejected their support, pretended to be a law-and-order candidate or a ‘Kim Foxx Lite’ candidate.”

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AT THE SMITHSONIAN

What indigenous cultures from around the world believe about eclipses.

A Smithsonian folklorist looks back and finds stories that explain how a darkening of daytime skies provokes a foreboding of evil

James Deutsch

Curator, Folklore, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Approaching a total eclipse in Queensland, Australia, November 2012

A long time ago, before NASA and Google teamed up to create interactive maps of forthcoming solar eclipses, or before we ever sought celestial advice from GeekDad.com , our human ancestors would look up at the darkening sky and exclaim something like, “what the heck?”

A total solar eclipse is amazing—like nothing else experienced on planet Earth. I’ve seen only two before—first on August 11, 1999 , in eastern Bulgaria, not far from where I was living at the time; and more recently on August 21, 2017 , when I flew to Atlanta and then drove to a small state park just across the South Carolina state line to be within the path of totality. This time, on April 8, I am scheduled to fly to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, conveniently located directly within the path of totality. If all goes according to plan, I’ll arrive by 11:30 a.m. CDT, make my way to a grassy observation area at the airport known as Founders’ Plaza , put on my eclipse glasses (courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum) , and then watch transfixed as the eclipse begins at 12:23 p.m. with roughly three-and-a-half minutes of totality beginning at 1:41 p.m. The following day, I’m scheduled to fly to Salt Lake City for a public history conference .

Back in Washington, D.C., the eclipse will block about 87 percent of the sun, which may sound like a lot, but it’s nothing like what happens during a total solar eclipse of 100 percent. The difference, pardon the expression—is like day and night. As NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller vividly described the latter to WAMU 88.5 , “The sky starts to get cool and dark, a couple minutes before totality. And all of your instincts, all of a sudden, start to freak out. Something’s going wrong. . . . There’s this deep basic panic that sets in as the whole world changes in a way it’s not supposed to. All of a sudden it feels like you’re standing on another planet.”

I very much share Thaller’s excitement, but what especially intrigues me as a folklorist are the folk beliefs shared and the stories told across world cultures to explain this astronomical phenomenon.

According to the Motif-Index of Folk Literature , a magisterial six-volume compilation of myths, legends and folktales collected by folklorists in the early 20th century, these may include a monster devouring the sun, a punishment from the gods for human errors, and a prelude to apocalypse.

Several entries from the late 1940s feature stories about eclipses from Native tribes in South America . For instance, according to the Chiqutoan Manasi people of eastern Bolivia, “The sun was a resplendent man and the moon was his sister. Eclipses were caused by celestial serpents which attacked these luminaries, threatening mankind with darkness. This catastrophe was to be followed by the transformation of men into hairy animals and by their mutual extermination.”

Among the Apapocúva-Guaraní people of eastern Paraguay and northern Brazil, “Eclipses are caused by the Eternal Bat, or in some cases the Celestial Jaguar, which gnaws the Sun or the Moon. The Apapocúva have a very pessimistic outlook on the future of the world; they are firmly convinced that its end is near. Very soon Our Great Father will set the earth on fire, unleashing the Eternal Bat and the Blue Jaguar which will destroy the stars and mankind.”

A partial solar eclipse in Hyogo, Japan, May 2012

Similar feelings of foreboding are expressed in Armenian folklore, according to a seven-volume study, The Mythology of All Races , also cited in the Motif-Index. “As among many other peoples, the eclipse of the sun and moon was thought to be caused by dragons which endeavor to swallow these luminaries. . . . When the moon was at an eclipse, the sorcerers said that it resembled a demon. It was, moreover, a popular belief that a sorcerer could bind the sun and moon in their course, or deprive them of their light. . . . Needless to add that the eclipses and the appearance of comets foreboded evil. Their chronologies are full of notices of such astronomical phenomena that presaged great national and universal disasters.”

Indeed such “universal disasters” associated with eclipses are also part of The Legends of the Jews , a seven-volume collection by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, published over the period from 1909 to 1942. These legends explicitly link solar eclipses to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and also to the crucifixion of Jesus. As explained by Dov Neuman in his analysis of this folk literature, the sun is eclipsed “because it cannot stand tragic happenings in world history.”

For those of us within the path of totality on April 8, it may indeed appear as if a dragon or serpent is swallowing the sun. When day becomes night and temperatures suddenly drop, it may feel as if the end is near. Like our ancient ancestors, we can only hope that the sun will return to shine after a period of total darkness lasting no more than 4 minutes, 9 seconds (if you’re near Carbondale, Illinois —which oddly enough was also within the path of totality in 2017, but only for 2 minutes, 41 seconds). And if that’s the case, eclipse chasers in the United States can look forward to more in our future: 2044, 2045 and 2078. What the heck!

A version of this article was originally published in the online magazine of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

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James Deutsch | | READ MORE

James Deutsch is a curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, where he has helped develop exhibitions on the Peace Corps, China and World War II, among others. In addition, he serves as an adjunct professor—teaching courses on American film history and folklore—in the American Studies Department at George Washington University.

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9-1-1′ s Oliver Stark Reacts to Buck’s Sexual Awakening: ‘There Have Been Crumbs for Years’ (Plus, What’s Next?)

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9-1-1 celebrated its 100th episode on Thursday with a milestone moment we were beginning to think would never happen. And it was hot .

After spending the hour growing increasingly jealous of Eddie’s newfound friendship with Tommy, Buck found himself conspicuously alone with the hot helicopter pilot, at which point he realized that his complicated feelings were about much more than “friendship.” As the pieces of Buck’s scattered brain fell into place, he also determined that Eddie wasn’t the one he wanted to notice him.

“Trying to get your attention has been kind of exhausting,” Buck told Tommy, cuing up one of the most satisfyingly steamy sequences we’ve gotten from this show in a minute. The two continued to trade obtuse sentiments, their eyes darting nervously toward one another’s lips, until Tommy finally shut him up with a kiss. Boom. Fireworks. Pride Month has come early.

Though 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear had only formally pitched the kiss to Oliver Stark a few weeks before shooting, Stark believes that his character’s sexual awakening has been a long time coming.

“There have been crumbs for years and years,” he says to anyone who dares to act surprised by this turn of events. “If you look back, and I don’t know if it was even intentional from anybody in the moment, I think that the thread is there throughout. So coming to this moment now is really exciting and deserved and earned.”

And for those who have been waiting for this moment — even if you hoped the kiss would involve a certain single father with abs for days — Stark has a special message to share: “You were right.”

“I honestly believe that,” he says, “and I’ve probably believed for a long time that we should end up in this place. I withdrew myself a lot from social media because you would see these things [about Buck] and I would agree… but I couldn’t agree, right? It was such a fine line, because if things didn’t happen, then I’d have been quote-unquote queerbaiting. So thank you [to those fans] for sticking with the story, and I hope there’s an element of it that feels right. I also hope you continue to stay on board and enjoy the story as we tell it.”

So, what story is going to be told? Below, Stark and Minear answer that very question, along with several of TVLine’s other burning queries about this long-awaited game changer of a kiss. Grade the 100th episode in our poll below, then read on for our full interview about this milestone hour.

911 Buck Tommy Gay Kiss Explained Season 7 Episode 4

We’ll start with the question on everyone’s mind: Of all the men in Los Angeles, how did Tommy find himself in the unique (not to mention enviable) position of becoming Buck’s first bisexual experience?

Following the “merry-go-round of different love interests we’ve had for Buck,” Minear felt that his storyline “needed a good smack to give it some new life.” So when Tommy came back into the picture, following Lucy’s unavailability to fly into the hurricane, Minear found himself struck with the idea. (“That’s when it occurred to me!”) From there, the idea evolved organically.

“I felt like the chemistry would be strong between Buck and Tommy,” Minear says. “Lou hasn’t been in a ton of the show. He was part of the boys club that persecuted Hen and Chimney at first. But I would watch those brief scenes with Lou, and that smile would happen, and I’d think, ‘This guy’s got a lot of charisma.’ I really felt like, if he was comfortable doing this story, I should reach out to him.”

Minear much preferred having Buck go through this experience with someone the audience already knew, rather than having to “invent some bi character for Buck to have an awakening with.” Fortunately for Minear, when he finally got them together, “they had chemistry!”

And it isn’t lost on Minear that Buck’s dynamic with Tommy echoes the one he once had with Eddie, calling it “almost a reprise of the dynamic from [Eddie]’s first episode where Buck was super jealous of the new guy. Now he’s jealous for a different reason.”

Is Buck Bisexual?

Not that we need to get hung up on labels, but it’s a fair question to ask: How is Buck going to identify now that he kissed a boy and he liked it?

When asked if Buck considers himself bisexual, Stark says, “That’s the way I have it in my head. We’ll see flashes of how he might look to label it in the next episode, but yeah, I think that would be the correct term.”

What's Going Through Buck's Mind During That Kiss?

9-1-1's Buck & Tommy Gay Kiss: Oliver Stark Reacts to Backlash

We know how we reacted to that kiss (spoiler alert: it involved expletives!), but what about Buck? Did he even know he wanted to kiss Tommy until it happened?

“In that moment, I don’t think he’s thinking about the kiss until it happens,” Stark says, adding that Buck really “doesn’t know what he’s feeling the entire episode. We called it jealousy or whatever, but he didn’t understand his feelings at any point. There was a storm brewing inside of him, but he didn’t know what that meant.”

Once the kiss happened, however, Stark acknowledges that there was a definite “release” on his part. “It’s this ‘…oh’ moment,” he says. “I got really emotional watching it, which I didn’t expect. I just feel really happy for Buck, because it’s this moment of clarity. He’s obviously been searching for something, and this wouldn’t have even been one of his guesses. But then it happened, and he was like, ‘Oh, that was the thing.'”

How Will Everyone React to Buck's News?

One of Minear’s favorite things about Buck’s new relationship is how it connects to Eddie and the rest of the 118.

“In the past, whenever I hooked these guys up with somebody, [their story] would be siloed off in its own universe,” he says. “It never lived organically with the other characters. This story affects Buck’s relationship with Maddie, it affects his relationship with Eddie, and it opens up opportunities for conversations about deep feelings and vulnerabilities.”

But the question remains: How will the people in Buck’s life react to his discovery?

“Some people will be surprised and some of them will not be so surprised,” Stark says with a laugh. “There will also definitely be a couple of instances of ‘It’s about time!'”

What's Next for Buck and Tommy?

Not that we expected 9-1-1 to suddenly sweep Buck’s sexuality under the rug, but Stark assures us that his character’s journey of self-exploration will remain a key focus of the season.

“This story is not going away,” Stark says. “It leads directly into Episode 5, and I’m excited to delve into it further. I think the most honest way to tell the story of a man in his thirties discovering this for the first time is for him to ask: ‘What does this mean for myself? Have I been living a lie? Who am I?’ I’m excited for Episode 5, because we get to look into that a little bit more.”

Episode 5 will find Tommy and Buck grabbing those drinks they talked about this week, but we’d be lying if we said we aren’t worried about what their big night has in store: “You get to see their first date,” Minear says. “And you get to see how that goes a little… aground.”

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ZOMG! The Buddie shippers will be SCREAMING! And this time, I’LL SCREAM WITH THEM!

yeah I reacted with expletives too, I had a feeling that something was going to happen with the way the camera was angled

plus most people don’t stand that close like that unless they’re telling a secret

Yeah, they were definitely telegraphing with that angle.

I won’t watch anymore episodes of 9-1-1 until Tommy Kinard is GONE! I don’t understand this and do not misunderstand me because this is not about Buck being bisexual. It’s about the show because they have been telling a different story with Eddie and Buck for years. If all they wanted him to do was hook up with a dude, they should have did it with Connor last season.

Because it’s pretty obvious that they want to do more than just “hook him up with a dude.” Why can’t people just wait and see how the story progresses? It’s only been one episode.

I don’t and won’t wait for anything. It’s been 6 years and Tommy is just as bad as Taylor and all the other women Buck’s dated. It’s just a matter of time before Tommy leaves Buck just like they did and he’ll be back to square one. So have fun watching the train wreck and tragedy because everyone has seen this story before, four times actually and the only difference is it’s with a man this time.

Did it ever occur to you this relationship is just there to be a stepping stone to what you say you want? Because that’s very likely.

Buck’s already had plenty of stepping stones, therefore this one should have been different. He’s still making the same mistakes but it appears some only care about him being with a dude. I don’t care if he’s not going to end up with Eddie but Jeez Louise, is Buck ever going to learn when someone is BAD for him? Tommy’s a user and he told Buck that to his face but like always Buck “Low Self Esteem” Buckley is still trying to impress people and hoping someone will make him happy when he hasn’t done anything to work in himself. He hasn’t learned anything.

Yes! That’s what I said!

Thank you Andy. You get it.

Damn how old are you? It’s a procedural. Like sure nowadays they get to the ships quickly, within the first 4-5 seasons but for a long time you’d have been lucky to get even a hint of a confirmation before the 6th-8th season. And that was for het ships. It’s a pretty normal length so far

First of all my age has nothing to do with this so it’s interesting that’s your initial knee jerk response. I’m an adult who’s been watching Buddie for years and who’s seen all the bread crumbs of their relationship and along with the hints about Buck being bi and Eddie being gay. However, one of the issues with shipping characters is, shows take years for some ships to go canon but mere weeks for others and that doesn’t make any sense. If either Buck or Eddie was a woman, they would have been together during their second meeting like Buck and Taylor were or literally any other hetero pairing. Taking 6 or 7 seasons to make a ship canon is ridiculous and that goes for all ships including Elliott and Olivia on SVU. It’s been 25 years and they’re still stumbling around each other but at least their situation was different since Elliott was married but his wife died almost 3 years ago and now that he wants to be with Liv, she’s stalling but she’s also ready to date 🧐 make it make sense. The issue is, at least in my opinion, shows stall out ships to keep viewers watching but with shows being canceled without warning only to be replaced with reality shows, none of them should be taking years to make a ship canon. Wasting time and stalling them out could run the risk of the ship never happening and no one wants to wait a decade or more especially since actors/actresses leave series sometimes after the 5th, 6th or 7th season. 9-1-1 has been lucky they’ve only lost 3 main characters over 7 seasons and one of them was only slated for season 1. If they had been canceled after season 6 and ABC hadn’t picked them up, then Buddie wouldn’t have ever gone canon. But now that they have another chance, there shouldn’t be anymore delays. They’ve been renewed for another season but a 9th is not guaranteed so this ship needs to sail already especially with shows biting the dust and procedural dramas becoming a thing of the past on network tv and being replaced by reality tv, game and competition shows that most don’t watch (I don’t because it’s not interesting to me but whatever floats a person’s boat to keep them entertained). Finally, for the few shows that are being greenlit for the fall of 2024, it’s unlikely most of them will make it past their first season and where will they be? Incomplete and the few that survive will be on borrowed time especially shows like 9-1-1 because it’s expensive to produce like 9-10M per episode.

The shows writing doesn’t need to revolve around your specific wants.

You’re absolutely correct but like I said, this is not the story they’ve been writing. Buck basically approached a male version of all his tragic love interests so the fallout will be the same since he still can’t tell when a person doesn’t mean him any good. Tommy basically called Buck stupid to his face but I guess you all didn’t pick up on that.

I’m sorry but you’ve said Tommy has called Buck “stupid” to his face and told Buck that Tommy is just a “user”. Where in your pea-sized brain did either of those words come out of Tommy’s mouth? If you’re a troll, which I’m just gonna assume, be a troll but don’t make up things. Tommy was trying to put some sense into Buck with the whole “Eddie can have more than one friend” and then put Buck’s mind at ease that he couldn’t replace Buck with Eddie or Christopher. No where in there or their other interactions did he say that he thought Buck was “stupid” for being jealous. Also you clearly can’t read given how they talk, in the article, about these threads being there for years so they have been going toward this story. Go outside and touch grass.

First of all you obviously didn’t look up what it means when someone says the phrase “This guy” to you. Second of all name calling is childish so maybe you’re the one who’s suffering from a peazer brain. Finally I won’t respond to any more of your replies so get lost and learn how to research script language before you assume you understand someone’s post.

I loved that show! You have now ruined it. It is no longer being watched/recorded.

You’ve clearly never paid attention, there have been LGBTQ+ characters since the show started.

And Buck wasn’t one of them, not even a little.

How can anyone say something like that about something so personal

You don’t know that. You really don’t. I came here to read all of the open and closeted homophobic and overall stupid statements. Thanks for not disappointing me.

Really? Buck always gave off vibes. I don’t think the actor played a straight guy very well, so I’m fine with him finally coming out.

Plus remember when they filmed the 911 and Lone Star 911 cross over episodes? Buck kept talking on and on to TJ, who told him (Buck) thar he was flattered, but already had a boyfriend. Buck was shocked and bewildered. He also said that he was straight, but then looked off into the distance as to digest what TJ said.

Say it louder, please. They never set Buck up for this in any previous season. They switched to ABC and had to fall in line with all the other shows on that night with gay characters. They did it just because.

Greg, I didn’t see your response until after I responded to Ken but see my response to him because you too are also incorrect!

Sorry Ken but you’re incorrect. The hints/bread crumbs about Buck being bi have always been there and the article provided an example but apparently some viewers refused to see it. On at least 5 different occasions since season 2, bread crumbs were left showing Buck isn’t opposed to dating men because he only dated women people who didn’t want to see or understand or brushed it off like it couldn’t be that when in fact it was. Buck and Eddie were about to jump each other’s bones and make out in Buck’s loft during season 3 and Eddie was caught by Chimney looking at Buck’s behind during the same season so please stop with the “they’ve never been shown to be bi or gay” because you’re wrong sir. You either missed it or chose to ignore it but that’s not on 9-1-1 since it was there in plain sight.

It has nothing to do with LGBTQ+ characters that were introduced and have always been gay. No one cares. Buck has been portrayed as heterosexual (and actively so!) since episode 1. This is just pandering and sensationalism. It is not believable.

You have no idea what internalized homophobia means? Also not everybody learns everything about themselves before 25. And he’s only around 32. The fact that he focused so much on sex with women could easily be the reason why he never entertained the possibility of being with men. Everybody has different experiences but the fact that I’ve seen many Bi ppl heavily relate to Buck here definitely means that it’s not as impossible as you believe it. (also there were “hints”, small possibilities here and there like Buck thinking Maddie was setting him up with Josh, TK thinking he might be hitting on him, ect… They’re not conclusive ofc but it’s not as out of the left field as you seem to believe it to be)

My best friend was once dating four men on two continents in three countries at the same time. Then she came out as gay. She struggled with her sexuality so much and overcompensated until she came to terms. Stuff like this happens. And – brace yourself – it happens to people you know and know well.

BrooklynGirl you’re wrong! Please see my response to Ken and Greg because Buck has in fact been shown to be into men on multiple occasions.

why y’all had to make buck gay ?out of all people that’s one. second, you already have LBGT+ actors in there why everything has to be gay ????? ugh .. i loved the show but after that i won’t be watching it again.

I agree buck didn’t not have to be gay … that was just not cool and I am not homophobic I just didn’t want to see buck kiss no man….that was actually sad to see….

Defensive much?

Tamara, you’re incorrect. Please see responses to those above because Buck has been shown to be into men but you probably ignored it because you didn’t want to see it.

How to tell someone you are homophobic …

Not for nothing, but being against a character sexuality changing does not make somebody homophobic. There is a distinction and people who throw out those terms lightly are a problem in society.

Personally I have no problems with representation from all races, religious beliefs and sexual orientation on television. We are a melting pot of a nation and tv should reflect accordingly.

I do have a problem with what I do feel to be an attack on heterosexual friendships specifically those of men. Personally I have several friends that I consider closer than most family and it would be nice if men could have that on television shows.

I understand I’m a straight white male, so apparently I’m not allowed to have an opinion according to some, but it is what it is.

Joe, my reply to you is not an attack or anything because your response seems to be genuine therefore, I decided to respond and hopefully it will help. I don’t know you but your reasoning regarding heterosexual male friendships being attacked on TV shows is flawed because they’re literally everywhere including 9-1-1. It’s interesting how no one who says this ever acknowledges the existing friendships between Bobby and Chimney, Chimney and Eddie, Buck and Albert and/or Michael and Bobby (they were great friends before Michael left). — When it comes down to it, it seems people only state the excuse you used about male friendships being eliminated from tv is when it involves Buck and Eddie and yet they always fail to remember they too are in fact friends! They’re best friends first but they’ve also fallen in love with each other and that usually is the underlying issue for most but they either don’t want to admit it or they’re ignoring it. My question to you is why is it an issue for two people who’ve built a family, make no mistake Buck and Eddie built one six years ago, to be together? It’s rhetorical but still it’s also relevant because Buck’s been searching for someone to love him unconditionally and he wants a family of his own but all the women he dated only wanted him for one thing then they left him. Eddie’s been searching too and he wants someone to love both him and Chris but the woman he was married to didn’t want either of them and the woman he dated in season 4 was just going along with societal norms just because they looked like the perfect family. She literally watched him have a panic atrack at the thought of him spending his life with her but she chose to ignore it until he broke up with her. — Chris loves Buck just as much as he loves his father Eddie and to prove it, he ran away to Buck’s loft when he was upset with Eddie and he called Buck during Eddie’s breakdown. He could have called 9-1-1 and it’s obvious he could have since Buck and Eddie are first responders but he called the man who loves him just like his father does. The fact is they are exactly who the other one needs, wants and have been searching for therefore their gender shouldn’t be an issue. Buck’s the partner and coparent Eddie desires and Eddie’s the person who sees and knows Buck and he’ll never leave. He also knows Buck will do anything for Chris and he’ll fight for him. Buck and Eddie are in love (whether they’ve realized it is debatable but I think they do know), they clearly make each other happy and that’s all that should matter. Therefore, Buck and Eddie’s friendship will be even stronger once they become a romantic couple and shouldn’t every couple be friends first? They are so please try to look at this without the preset and preconceived societal norms that include everyone living their lives like those before them because the facts are every family is different and they all won’t include a husband, a wife and 2.5 children since some might include two husbands with a son like Buck and Eddie and their son Chris. Both of them love Chris and they’ll in fact die for him. Eddie’s almost died at least 3 times and Buck did die. Chris was worried about both of them. — In my opinion that’s the story 9-1-1 has been telling and showing for Buck and Eddie for the last 6 years to prove how they’re a family all on their own. So, if you’re looking for male friendships Bobby’s and Chimney’s is great too and they’ve been there for each other in times when the other one was struggling, more so in seasons 1 and 2 but still it’s there. — I hope my response helps and if it didn’t, please know there are other shows with deep male friendships included in them like House M.D., The Closer, Major Crimes, S.W.A.T., Chicago P.D., Blue Bloods, Chicago Fire and others just to name a few. — I’ll end my reply with the fact that Buck and Eddie will still be best friends when they become a romantic couple and said friendship will be even stronger.

Doubt you’d be happy if a main gay character was hot for the opposite sex out of the blue just for ratings and to appease the minority but very vocal gen z viewers. This was done for ingenious reasons, it’s insulting to the fans as well as the gay community.

i don’t think you know what “ingenious” means…

Why? What are your reasons?

Agreed. Here either

Donna do urself a favor and get a life after that ignorant comment.

Ngl, I thought they were gonna start this storyline in season 4 when Albert, Chimney’s brother, was introduced and moved in with Buck. I was really rooting for that too. This just feels weird and out of place. And so many BE shippers are just so rude to the women that dare get in the way of their ship. The way Gabrielle Walsh was treated was so awful.

Don’t defend a woman who pretends to be Latina to get roles! That is why she got the majority of the hate!

It would have been an interesting storyline at the very least. Chim dating Maddie, Buck’s sister while Buck goes and dates Chim’s brother.

Catherine, it appears you’re unaware of the way the actresses responded to and sometimes instigated the issues they experienced with the fandom. Violence and bullying are never ok and no one should be subjected to it. That’s a fact. However, if I recall correctly, Gabrielle, Megan and now Edy do/did things on social media to provoke the fans and they played/play the vicitm when they get clapped back on. These Gen Zers keep the receipts in the form of screenshots and they are quick to repost the posts they submitted and they get the bulk of those negative reactions and it’s based on something they 9 times out of 10 started.

Clearly someone has unrealized issues about themselves if this particular storyline is so upsetting to you.

I don’t have any unrealized anything. I just don’t like Tommy because he’s a problematic character but like I said all most people care about is Buck kissing a man, any man and it doesn’t matter if he’s a good person or not. I’m not naive and I know he will kiss Eddie and it will be the best kiss of his life but in my opinion, his first kiss should have been with someone else instead of Tommy but if you like it then good for you.

sir/ma’am ACT SMART IF 911 DECIDES TO PUT BUCK AND EDDIE TOGETHER, THEY WILL BUCK HAS TO START SOMEWHERE, IT JUST HAPPEN TO BE WITH TOMMY. YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO ABC, THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO RELIEVE OUR STRESS THEY COULD HAVE BUILT IT UP AND DISSAPOINTED US BUT IF YOU DO NOT ACT POSITIVE AND SEE THIS WHY THE SHOW KEEPS US 911 FANS GOING. Just a small kiss broke the 911 fanbase tension and made most of us happy. I bet you’re gonna watch next weeks episode.

The all caps isn’t necessary for you to make a point. As I stated, Tommy is a problematic character but as usual everyone who’s happy about Buck finally kissing a man only cares that he kissed one. There are much better characters available but for some reason all the bad ones are thrown at Buck including Taylor, Tommy, Natalia, Dr. Wells and Abby (yes she was problematic too not just because she was twice his age but she violated dispatch policy and illegally obtained his phone number. His first kiss with a man should have been with someone better but like I said all most people care about is him kissing a man. Tommy acted horribly with Chimney and Hen (go watch their begins episodes and you’ll see) in season 2 so yeah, he’s problematic. And as far as watching Thursday, I will NOT because I don’t want to see Tommy on a date with Buck and I don’t want to see smiley Marisol. She has one facial expression and it’s unsettling. But hopefully you’ll enjoy it.

I figured something was about to happen with how close Tommy and Buck were standing to each other

Well, good to know that Buck’s male love interests are as badly written as his female ones, I guess. Yay, equality? We literally saw nothing about them getting close, Tommy calls him Evan for no reason anyone can tell, 911 doing its best “just assume things happened offscreen!!!” job again. Eddie gets completely massacred as a character for this to happen because there’s basically no other way to hook Buck up with another dude. But hey, they get to pat themselves on the back now.

Thank you because this is exactly how I feel about this. Buck hasn’t learned anything and the writing isn’t doing him any justice. There has to be a better male love interest for Buck than Tommy because he’s no better than any of the women Buck dated. The sad part is, Buck still doesn’t value himself enough to find someone who will care about him. Tommy calling him Evan doesn’t prove he knows him. And where did that even come from? Buck’s still worried about being abandoned but he attaches himself to a guy who all but called him stupid to his face. Still making the same mistakes so I guess he’ll ask Tommy to help him buy a couch now. New love interest, same mistakes. SMH

The thing is… I am very happy that we finally got bi Buck, and I appreciate it. However… I’m sorry, but this whole thing was just absolutely terribly written. Minear says that he wanted an established character rather than having to invent a new one, but – to Buck and Eddie, Tommy is a stranger. It doesn’t matter that the audience already knows him, *they* didn’t know him before. So they literally just met last week, and now both Buck and Eddie are totally into Tommy and think he’s the coolest guy ever, Eddie hangs out with him so much that *Christopher* has an opinion about him, Buck is apparently into him, and we don’t get to see any of this happen? We just have to accept that it happened off screen. And I know that 911 generally approaches relationships with a “tell, don’t show” mentality, but a storyline that important for Buck really deserved better. Not to mention that in order to make all this happen, they had to throw Eddie’s character completely under the bus. And the bait and switch of “Buck is jealous because he wants Eddie’s attention… haha you THOUGHT!” felt cruel in a way none of the Buck/Eddie teasing has felt before.

Again, I am ultimately glad that bi Buck is happening. But it’s 2024, I think we need to hold TV shows to higher standards than blindly applauding them simply for having a queer character. It doesn’t make up for bad writing.

I agree again because the way Buddie shippers were blindsided with an “Oh, you really thought this was about Eddie and Buck since Buck was shown focusing all his attention him when Tommy was and wasn’t there, well you’re wrong because it’s all about Tommy” was definitely hurtful in a way that’s hard to describe. Because you’re right they didn’t know him which means it could have been someone new that neither Buck and Eddie nor the 118 knew but Tim said he didn’t want another “siloed” character but I think one who wasn’t part of the LAFD would have been better. Buck could have met someone if he would have gone go karting by himself or anywhere and started getting to know them on screen so at least it wouldn’t have seemed like it just came out of nowhere. Eddie being thrown under the bus wasn’t cool either and it wasn’t the first time for the sake of a Buck centric storyline. Christopher being introduced to Tommy was also interesting and the audience didn’t see any of it. Apparently, Marisol was babysitting while Eddie hangs out with Tommy but that doesn’t even make sense since she was just chaperoning his first date with Eddie. It gave Ana 2.0 during the blackout but at least they dated for months and she was Chris’ school teacher at one point. The rushed writing surely didn’t help which is why last season should have ended differently. Not sure where things are going now since the synopsis for episode 5 is out and it indicates “Eddie and Marisol take a closer look at their relationship” which has taken place completely off screen and it could end up being very bad. Either Eddie goes all in AGAIN only to stick it out like he planned to do with Ana even though he was literally panicking because of it or he’ll break up with her after seeing Buck and Tommy on their date. Brenna directed it and she directed the shooting so hopefully Buck and Eddie’s undying love for each other will be captured again with both Marisol and Tommy quickly exiting stage left.

SO many thoughts. Yay representation! A fresh and an intriguing storyline for Buck! Validation for those of us who *always* saw it! I really appreciate Oliver Stark saying that; I’m not (that) crazy, and I don’t tend to look for things that aren’t there, and I was sick of feeling gaslighted (and look…while I appreciate that this storyline is about Buck’s journey *first and foremost,* I also respectfully ask Tim Minear to please have mercy on the Buddie fans and not have Eddie “brotherzone” Buck 😭). Great 100th episode.

I cannot believe ya’ll got a Buddie shipper for the show runner lol.

At the very least, he supports those who do ship it, which is a nice change 😅 For me, Buck’s journey is the focal point here. This kind of representation is so important but pretty rare on TV, and I’m excited regardless. I’ll never *not* root for Buck and Eddie, but I also recognize that it might not happen (or would take some time if it does).

Uh, that is the show creator as well as showrunner. He is not a “Buddie shipper.” He created the characters in the first place.

Never watching again . Why can’t we have 1 show that just deals with being a firefighter and no same sex lust and kissing and sex , some of us don’t want to see that while watching a MANLY drama

Why can’t we have one gay story on any board without a homophobic response??

Why can’t we have guys with a best friend without a small group screaming for them to “get together” because that’s their reality.? It’s not the reality of the majority of the population who’d like to be “represented’ too. Why can’t we ask for that without a heterophobic response.

Was Tommy Buck’s best friend?

Male friends are a dime a dozen on TV. It’s like one of the most commonly shown relationships. They are a hell of a lot more common than male and female friendships or men who become lovers after being friends.

Heterophobic. LOL

The majority of the population is represented the majority of the time.

You always have the option of not watching, not caring, not commenting, not reading comments, and finding something else to do.

@KP, I love your response! My sentiments exactly.

Thomas, we do. I guess you haven’t been watching both 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star apparently.

Exactly! These people obviously haven’t seen the show before… Hen’s had a wife since season 1 and there have been plenty of LGBTQ+ characters since it started. The show was created and produced by a gay man.

I don’t think it’s a homophobic response. I will probably watch it again, I enjoy the show. I agree, why can’t we have ONE show that doesn’t involve same sex relationships or trans characters. This group of people is less than 1% of the population yet 100% of programming shows it. Hollywood needs to quit shoving this down our throats.

Or maybe you should stop being bigoted and hiding it behind “it’s not a homophobic response to ask for one show to not have diversity” – there are a TON of shows that don’t have any gay or queer characters since like the inception of entertainment. Sorry you have to live in the modern world where writers and creatives want to showcase more than just white, cis straight people.

But it’s okay to shove heterosexual relationships down our throats? My guess is that, back in the day, you would be arguing that Hollywood should stop shoving interracial marriages down our throats as well. Nothing is being shoved down anyone’s throats.

Hollywood has always been on the forefront on society. It’s been true for decades. It’s called acceptance.

You wouldn’t be alive without a heterosexual relationship happening…so miss us with the delusional replies…People are not Homophobic…That’s not even a real word…It was made up….No one is scared of gay people….just tired of society trying to stop generations from being born which involves heterosexual people…or an egg and a sperm coming in contact

Completely irrelevant to the whole conversation.

And yes, people are often scared around people who make them uncomfortable.

Bi and trans people exist, heterosexuality is not the end all be all to have children

Less than 1%? In 2022 Gallup estimated that 7.2% of the US adult population were LGBTQ+. That’s just he ones who weren’t closeted and willing to admit it. In younger people the percentage was even higher because they didn’t face the same stigma that older people did. In adults born after 1997, nearly 1 in 5 (19.7%) identify as something other than straight

ABSOLUTELY I agree Hollywood is now doing the opposite and TRYING TO FORCE IT. And missing the POINT

LOL “less than 1% of the population” girl where are you getting your statistics from, The Westboro Baptist Church School of Homophobia? Be serious. And were you paying attention to Josh or Karen or Hen who have been there forever or nah? There are plenty of shows with no queer characters, but 9-1-1 has never been one of them.

More like 5% — but regardless, if it works in the context of the story, what’s the problem? Previously exclusively straight men do discover different sexualities later on (especially those with dysfunctional upbringings). Besides, as many people have noticed, this didn’t exactly come out of left field. Buck’s series of failed relationships could well have hinted at what the real issue was. And two seasons ago, T.J. from 911 LoneStar picked up on Buck’s vibe (even if he didn’t himself).

because you took a womanizer and made him gay?

It actually makes sense.

Why is a difference of opinion a “homophobic response”?. 911 has numerous gay characters and gay storylines. They didn’t need to hijack Buck!

1.Buck has always been Bi coded. And there were numerous moment where it was suggested to the audience albeit humorously. 2. The way people have responded is homophobic. The whole “why do we need more diversity” tends to come from a queerphobic bias. Because the complaint is very much about the fact that a character suddenly (to them) became queer. Which, considering people can realize they’re queer at literally any age is a weird take when you could have for example just thought that the storyline didn’t need to have Eddie in it just for a Buck realization story.

Then you weren’t ever really watching the show, Sherry, because there has been a same-sex couple – part of the heart of the show, mind you! – since the first season.

Because this is ABC and that is all this channel is known for, sex sex and sex. I am so over it. Now I wish 911 had stayed on Fox.

What about Hen & Karen?? Guess they tone count cause they’re not 6’2 & blue eyes. Shallow

There are going to be a lot of women angry because they liked to self insert with Buck love interests and feel they can no longer do that. Their reaction would be as ugly if Buck and Eddie were to actually ever get together (which is honestly the main reason I think they haven’t let it happen).

1) I feel like if he’s bisexual, then women can continue to insert themselves as they see fit, so to speak but also B) fans gonna do what fans gonna do – head cannon and fan fiction does not care what’s on screen a lot of the time, so this won’t even be a blip for a lot of female fans.

It won’t affect many female fans but the ones who are affected are definitely making themselves known on social media and announcing their departure like it’s an airport, LMAO. I’m just glad ABC did this early in the season, so people who are going to be biphobic/homophobic can move on and let the rest of us watch and enjoy in peace.

“Manly drama”?? lmao. Lady, I need you to be serious. It’s a soap opera, you goober.

a soap opera created by RYAN MURPHY. honestly i guffawed, hollered and chortled at “manly drama” be so fr 😭

Was that supposed to be sarcasmn? Whats up with the “manly” thing? I’m guessing that all of the bad luck Buck’s had with women could possibly be because he had doubts about his sexuality, even subconsciously, maybe. I don’t know either, but I’m excited for the ride. Plus, everybody has to have a first of something different than you’re used to before. So more than likely Tommy is just that for Buck. We will see.

If you want to see a show that deals with being a firefighter, have you considered asking for a ride-a-long at one of your local firehouses? As you stated, this is a DRAMA, and it’s still MANLY regardless of who’s attracted to who. Did you throw this kinda fuss when he hooked up with the various women through the seasons? I bet not!

Stick with newsmax and oan

You’ve got to be kidding. There’s so many shows and movies out there with no LGBTQ+ characters or storylines yet you want to sit and complain about the shows that do have it? Why can’t we have representation of people who are LGBTQ+? Why can’t we have LGBTQ+ characters and storylines? There’s a saying that you should really consider following: Don’t like, don’t watch.

You don’t want same sex lust on a show all about people riding poles?

ummm…do you just want to watch a documentary then?

I hope all you homophobic people stop watching. Good riddance.

“Basketball beard” 😭 Who do I need to Venmo for this glorious line?!

I suspect Maddie and Chim will be the absolute LEAST surprised at this turn of events. I’m going to enjoy watching bi Buck experience his new dating adventures – and this being 9-1-1, they will indeed be adventurous!

Disappointed you decided to go this route with Buckley. I am probably not going to watch the show any longer. Too bad great characters guess you ran out of storylines.

You’re complaining about a storyline while claiming that they ran out of storylines. Any other contradictions that you’d like to share?

“There have been crumbs for years and years,” he says to anyone who dares to act surprised by this turn of events.”

This was my favorite part of the interview. Some people got SO nasty when you suggested that Buck might not be straight. Like…I have my moments, but I really never thought that I was being delusional about it 😭 It just seemed like, if so many viewers saw it, and the media saw it, and people involved in the show saw it…we couldn’t all be wrong??

I knew as soon as Tommy showed at Buck’s apartment that Buck would end up kiss Tommy. I figured out pretty early in the episode that Buck liked Tommy and was projecting his frustrations onto Eddie. I haven’t liked any of Buck’s previous relationships at all. It will be interesting to see what happens. I find both Tommy and Buck to be extremely attractive. I doubt this whole situation will hurt the show’s ratings. I am a heterosexual woman who isn’t losing my mind over a fictional TV character being bisexual. I am pretty sure that Oliver Stark is still straight in real life. He has a girlfriend. Ryan Murphy the producer and director of the is gay. If you look at any of his shows. There is people from the LGBTQ community as characters in his shows. What about Hen and her wife? Or her ex that was in jail. Or T.K and Carlos? Or Paul?

I sensed throughout the episode that it might turn in this direction. Very disappointing. As a true fan who has never missed an episode, Buck has always presented as heterosexual and I find his reaction to be totally contrived and unbelievable.

““There have been crumbs for years and years,” he says to anyone who dares to act surprised by this turn of events.”

It’s not unbelievable. I didn’t come out until I was 40. I always presented myself as heterosexual, dating women and was engaged, but never once had a fulfilling relationship with a woman.. I covered it with most of the the typical masculinity tropes. However, I knew I was gay by 5th grade. It just wasn’t something acceptable to the people around me and I was terrified so had to wear a mask and hide it. All my friends and family were shocked when I came out because everyone knew I was straight, only I wasn’t. Of all of them, only one had a problem when they found out. My only regret was that I didn’t come out sooner. So no, it’ snot unbelievable, because I lived it.

You said you never had a fulfilling relationship with a woman…but it only boils down to who you wanted to have sex with….i dare people to ask The Lord to show them the truth…he will blow your mind on the things of this world…

Dear Q-Anon, please leave the chat and go back to Beirtbart News and leave God to yourself

Oh, no! Now I have 6 seasons to binge :D

You won’t regret it!

This was long overdue. It was event hinted during the lonestar crossover

So excited and happy for Buck and for Oliver Stark, who continues to do a wonderful job bringing this character to life. Of course I hope Buck ends up with Eddie, but there is season eight in the future and plenty of time for that to happen. This is Buck’s moment!

Not really sure how to feel about this. Guess I will have to wait and see. But I for sure don’t want ANYTHING to happen between Buck and Eddie.

I prefer that Buck and Eddie remain best friends without benefits but I think it’ll be interesting to see Buck explore his sexuality. I am very open minded.

Agreed. I mostly cannot stand Ryan Guzman so I cannot get with Eddie’s character, I never liked him. I was really hoping Albert, Chimney’s brother, would become a main character and be a part of this kind of storyline and end up with Evan/Buck but alas.

Purrrrr, Buck is yummy! It doesn’t matter if he’s bisexual. He can date a female one week and a male the next week.

I absolutely loved tonight’s episode of 911. It really took me by surprise in a great way. Keep it going.

It was an interesting episode for sure, but to me the best part wasn’t the gay flirting , it was that horrible accidental homicide where the lady killed her own son because (apparently) she has some weird disease that makes her SEE people, but they have different faces? Wow! Kudos to the writers on that one.

A lot of shows have had episodes about this disease over the last few years.

Shouldn’t it disqualify you from owning a gun??

LOL, Face Blindness is an old trope. “Perception” & “Royal Pains” used it in the same week a few years back. Also on “Arrested Development.”

It’s a trope that’s been used on a lot of medical shows

I love that she wasn’t capable of squeezing Chim’s hand, but she was somehow capable of shooting her son.

It wasn’t a disease. They said multiple times she fell and hit her head.

Damnit! I should know better than to come to this site before an episode ends!!

More later.

No, he’s not bisexual. The show has just bowed to the will of a loud, persistant group of fans who want him to be. Pat yourself on the back and say good bye to those who are getting tired of tv trying to destroy the whole concept of best friends. Enough of this nonsense already. You can’t just change someone’s sexual orientation IRL. Stop doing it in our shows.

Good lord. You don’t know that Buck is going to end up with Eddie. And if that did happen, it’d take several seasons. I really do believe that they’re best friends first and this coming out storyline is for Buck and Buck alone. But even if Eddie does also realise he has romantic feelings for Buck sometime in the future, who cares? As long as it’s not rushed and feels earned, then go for it 911 writers!

Also, plenty of people realise later in life that they are gay or bi. And as Oliver Stark said above – this really shouldn’t come as much of a shock as there have been crumbs for years! (Crumbs like TK assuming that Buck was gay when they met on 911 Lonestar. Or Buck literally never feeling 100% fulfilled in any of the short-lived relationships he has had with women. Or constantly feeling like something was missing or that he needed to “find” himself – which he has spoken about constantly with his therapist on the show).

His story is so similar to mine and loads of gay/bi men that I know in real life… and it’s nice to see that representation on screen in a way that doesn’t feel shoe-horned.

And I’d just like to point out that there are dozens upon dozens of examples of best friends forming romantic relationships on tv shows. The “friends to lovers” trope is well-documented. I’d bet my last dollar that you never had a problem with any of female/male friends to lovers 👀

FRIENDS: Monica & Chandler / Joey & Rachel | HIMYM: Barney & Robin | BROOKLYN NINE-NINE: Jake & Amy | GREY’S ANATOMY: Izzie & George / Jo & Link / Alex & Izzie / Owen & Teddy / April & Jackson | THE GOOD PLACE: Eleanor & Chidi | THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Elena & Damon / Caroline & Stefan | THE OFFICE: Jim & Pam | THE FLASH: Barry & Iris | RIVERDALE: Archie & Betty | AGENTS OF SHIELD: Fitz & Simmons | GILMORE GIRLS: Luke & Lorelai | GOSSIP GIRL: Dan & Blair | THE WALKING DEAD: Rick & Michonne | NEW GIRL: Nick & Jess | PARKS & RECREATION: Leslie & Ben | BONES: Bones & Booth | CHUCK: Chuck & Sarah | ANGEL: Angel & Cordelia | DAWSONS CREEK: Joey & Pacey. 》》》》 I could literally go on. The OP definitely had zero issue with any of these straight couples “destroying the whole concept of best friends” lol. Mind you, Buck & Eddie are literally still just best friends with no real indication that’s gonna change. OP should just say they hate LGBT people and leave. No need to hide their homophobia/biphobia behind not liking something that TV shows do ALL THE TIME with straight characters! Loser behaviour.

The concept of the best friend–two people of the same gender who care about each other and don’t have-sexr–has indeed been destroyed by Hollywood. I am disappointed too I don’t think Buck is bisexual either. Just the showrunners giving into Twidiot shippers.

Kindly allow another Allison to weigh in – I have *always* believed (and hoped) for this realization/development for Buck’s character. Any viewer who has closely watched every episode should have definitely picked up numerous clues throughout the seasons. Yes, I am a proud shipper and am absolutely thrilled with the Buck/Tommy kiss… because it leaves me with even more hope for eventual #Buddie canon! 🌈

he is bisexual if the show writers write him that way, which they have. that’s how tv shows work lol. is this your first time? ex-amish, are you?

I was really disappointed with the story line.. I think the same sex story experiences had been addressed enough with Athena’ husband Michael, Henrietta’s wife, Karen….

I just loved how the writers made Buck’s character a carefree, happy-go-lucky daredevil kind of guy and I looked forward to see what he would do next… So I was surprised at this. Did’nt feel this change in storyline was necessary and very disappointing!!!!!!!

If you think Buck’s character could ever be described as a ‘carefree, happy-go-lucky-daredevil’ then I’d argue you’ve never watched more than a single episode of this show. He is the polar opposite of happy-go-lucky and carefree :’D No wonder his obvious bisexuality came as such a shock to you!

Wouldn’t a “carefree, happy-go-lucky, daredevil kind of guy” be more prone to explore romantically?

Hey guess what, Buck will have the same personality even if he’s bi. God you people are so homophobic it’s ridiculous.

Personally, I never saw the breadcrumbs, but I just thought people were just grasping at straws to find ways for Buck and Eddie to suddenly become a couple. It’ll be fun to see how this plays out.

I did not see breadcrumbs either. But I knew where they were going. And I rolled my eyes. Guess you can now just have characters change sexual orientation. Will any of the LGBT characters turn straight? Did not think so.

Depends, can you think of an example when a gay person has struggled for years dealing with his heterosexuality and finally decides to come out of the closet and admit he is straight?

This episode was fun & crazy. Just the way I like it.

I am so depressed, never watching any 911 episode again

So question, who is the person Eddie is with? You know when they said something at the Bachelor Mansion.

Marisol, the one from last season where her brother ‘sealed’ himself up in her attic and then she met him again at the hardware store.

And next week we find out she’s an ex nun so things are not going well for Eddie. Just dump her. She acts like a goofy giddy 12 year old

Why?!? I have loved Buck’s character since the begining! His taste for adventure, masculinity, and caring personality with Christopher. You already had gay characters. Why did you feel the need to ruin Buck’s character?!? I’m so tired of this being in every show! Should have known, as what else should we expect with ABC? This is not real life in all Firehouses! Before you start the hate, I have a gay cousin who underwent chemical transformation years ago! Also, a gay inlaw! I’m not going to watch anymore.🥺

Why what? It is possible for a man to be masculine and gay. The fact that you have a problem with people being gay has nothing to do with what happens in firehouses. This story is a lot more believable than all the hookups on Chicago Fire.

First, no one is suggesting Buck is gay. Just that he is bi. Also, a gay or bi person could perfectly be described as having a “taste for adventure, masculinity, and caring personality with Christopher”. Finally, “I have a gay cousin who underwent chemical transformation years ago”, what does tthat even mean? Do you mean a trans cousin? Because that has nothing to do with being bi, gay or anything here.

I sincerely hope and pray that your so-called family and inlaws never go anywhere near you or anyone else harboring such a backward and unreasonable attitude.

Why is exploring Buck’s bisexuality “destroying the character”? just say you’re biphobic and get lost

no no no!!! please dont make Buck’s character go down this path!!! It’s not even believable.

It isn’t about believability, it’s about appeasing the Rainbow Brigade.

“There have been crumbs for years and years,” he says to anyone who dares to act surprised by this turn of events.

Yeah…. Looks at Maddie suggesting Buck might have a crush on Eddie, the elf who thought they were together, the poker scene where they joke about setting Buck and Josh together….so not believable

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Is JoJo Siwa’s ‘Karma’ a Flop or a Flop?

JoJo Siwa is here, and she’s ready to shock you. Are you shocked yet? How about now? The singer(?) released her new song “Karma” on April 5, and the music video finds her bedecked in Kiss cosplay, getting close with two separate women, dry-humping, and falling in the water. She’s a good girl gone bad, and by “bad,” we mean “low quality.” And yet, the music video is garnering Siwa huge amounts of attention, trending on YouTube, and forcing her into the pop-girl conversation. So let’s give her what she wants, shall we? Rebecca Alter and Jason P. Frank gather to discuss “Karma,” this rebranding, and why we can’t stop watching even when it isn’t working. Is it a flop or is it a flop?

Rebecca Alter: Jason, you are the emissary for Gen Z in this Google Doc. Do you claim this? Please tell me what is happening.

Jason P. Frank: JoJo Siwa is self-consciously becoming a bad girl and managing to do it without getting a single fleck of dirt on her pristine costumes. Siwa, the effervescently bright Dance Moms star who was the most popular girl in the world among 6-year-olds, is fed up with being perceived as a sexless clown for babies. And so, she’s donning Kiss makeup, humping girls, and performing pop music. Is it punching down to make fun of this?

RA: What you’re saying is, she’s fed up with being perceived as a sexless clown for children, so she’s rebranding as a clown for grown-ups who fucks bad.

JPF: Objectively, yes.

RA: We’ve seen lots of child pop stars rebrand as a bad girl, but she might be one of the first to reinvent herself as bad girl . Because oh, brother, this stinks! And to answer your question, no way it’s punching down to make fun of this. Siwa’s an empire. Cardi B couldn’t afford to book her for her daughter’s birthday. She has her own branded Lunchables and asbestos-laced makeup ! And on top of it all, once she graduated out of being a kids’ entertainer herself, she went on to become the Abby Lee in her own story, managing a kids’ girl group called XOMG POP! With all the care and sensitivity of Larry Plumb .

But XOMG POP! is a Dateline episode for another day. We’re here specifically to talk about her new single and music video, “Karma.” Let’s make like JoJo at the 1:21 mark of the music video and dive flop in. This song … It’s no good, Jason.

JPF: Certainly! A thumping, uninspired beat, with faux -edgy lyrics (“She said ‘bitch’!”) performed with all the conviction of the elementary-age students who used to be her fans.

RA: It’s funny how in the chorus, she keeps saying “bitch,” but in a way that quotes a familiar saying. Then, she immediately says “effed around,” which is so Christian dad of her.

JPF: The central problem is that it’s so transparently that — a recalculation of a brand . There’s no sense that there was any real artistic muse, from her or from anyone else on her team. In interviews, she’s made reference to other “good girl gone bad” moments from pop — Britney, Miley, etc. — but when all you’re doing is regurgitating other people’s efforts, you end up with a facsimile of a changed image. You know what this reminds me of, Rebecca? Sugar and Spice from Drag Race — one is sweet (wears pink), the other’s scary (wears black), but ultimately, they’re still in the same outfit.

RA: Except Sugar and Spice took inspo from Bratz dolls, and one of the fundamental issues with this video is I kept thinking, JoJo Siwa has American Girl Doll face .

The way she’s still committed to the tight slicked-back hair (now in some sort of faux -hawk instead of a pony) makes her head look like a big ol’ egg! A bedazzled egg! It’s not quite cherubic, more Schumeric. She has always had bouba face with kiki energy, bringing to any situation a constant sense of unease and conflict. It makes all of her jagged, fast, hard humping in this video (so much humping) really uncanny! She humps like she dances, and she dances like …

@vanessa_lorelle95x There is going ALL out, then theres Jojo..🥲 #fyp #jojosiwa #karma #foryou #foryoupage ♬ Karma - JoJo Siwa

What would you call this? Are we being too mean? I think my fight-or-flight is activated because I’m scared!

JPF: We aren’t being too mean, but I do worry we’re giving too much credit. Were you actually uncomfortable with this? Does it even warrant that? The music video is so conscious of the reaction it’s intending to provoke that I can’t work up more than an eye roll. You wanted “good girl gone bad” and you went with … Kiss? And the music doesn’t reference that band at all? If she wanted to shock me, she’d actually get messy. Instead, it’s the same overly polished, heartless work that she’s always done. The humping is embarrassing, of course, but that’s because it’s sexless. She treats it the same as any other dance move — a motion to be executed.

RA: Took the words right out of my mouth — I’m alarmed and disturbed because it’s physicality without sexuality or sensuality. I wouldn’t even say “robotic,” because fembots? Famously sexy. I wouldn’t say overly polished either; look at the background dancers’ control on the choreo over the way she hits every beat too hard. It’s jagged, but it’s also too much. And, yeah, whether the makeup is Kiss or Alice Cooper, you don’t get any of that in the music. Speaking of which, those lyrics really are something else. Not sure what my favorite lyric is between “Like when a tree falls in the forest, no one hears it,” and the part where she rhymes “boring” with “snoring.” What are your takeaways from the song itself?

JPF: It’s interesting you make fun of her for rhyming “boring” with “snoring,” because I was about to use both those words to describe the song.

RA: Hahaha, she sang “When I lay me down to sleep …” and you were like, “That’s me.”

JPF: I can’t think of a funnier moment than the opening line itself: “I was a bad girl.” It’s so blunt. And I’m not a monster; I don’t need subtlety in pop music. But the song is not about her doing bad things, it’s her gesturing at “being” a “bad girl.”

RA: Well, I’m actually confused on that point. Because the chorus starts, “Karma’s a bitch, I should’ve known better / If I had a wish, I would’ve never effed around,” but then the rest of the song is about her girlfriend with some other girl making her jealous? Even in her bad-girl fantasy, she won’t let herself be the bad guy.

I’m only saying this because I’m on the song’s Genius page right now, and I actually have a new favorite lyric: “Cold blue eyes look back at me / the mirror has no sympathy / my guilt’s become a symphony.” She’s one of those girls who says, “My eyes look so blue when I cry.”

JPF: Oh, like Kenzie from Survivor this season. At least she has tattoos.

RA: No, exactly.

JPF: Did you notice that JoJo never actually kisses either of the girls in the music video? They touch faces, she humps, she gets a little tongue to the neck, but she never bothers to actually kiss either. To me, that’s the whole song. For all its attempts to shock audiences with queer sexuality, there’s no sexuality on display.

RA: None! When she was phantom-humping without eye contact or physical contact, I wanted to yell at her like a Yorkiepoo: Jojo, you stop that right now! Not on the rug!

JPF: Are you offended by this? When I wrote the thing about queer sexuality above, it occurred to me that it was possible to be offended — a capitalist is using her sexless sexuality to scandalize the nation without actually committing to the bit, yada yada. And yet, I can’t work up the energy to care. It’s the kind of art content that, despite our 1,200 words on the subject, eschews actually think-piecing. Obviously, it’s worked for her in terms of the real goal, which is “getting attention” (1.4 million views by this morning already, and counting), but is it even worth trying to delve into this for some political point?

RA: WELL, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT [ *unfurls scroll that rolls across the entire room* ]. Countless pop stars have done gay shit as a career tool. Siwa, at first, did something kind of different when she came out as actually gay (technically, she first came out as the “best gay cousin ever” ). It was her identity, her sexuality, and it didn’t detract from her rainbow and unicorn merchandise lines. But also: She’s been kind of cringe every step of the way.

@iheartradio This would break the internet!!! @JoJo Siwa lets do it! 🎧 #iHeartAwards2024 ♬ original sound - iHeartRadio

But now she’s tried to incorporate it into some manufactured comeback for shock value, play-acting her own identity. The sweatiness of figuring out how to reinvent herself in the public eye is actually kind of authentic to who she is, in a way. Loudly and proudly cringe.

JPF: The most shocking thing that happened in my day was the earthquake that just hit. Sorry, JoJo.

RA: Like being dry-humped by Mother Earth …

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How to Write an Article Review (with Sample Reviews)
Identify the article. Start your review by referring to the title and author of the article, the title of the journal, and the year of publication in the first paragraph. For example: The article, "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS," was written by Anthony Zimmerman, a Catholic priest. 4.
What is a review article?
A review article can also be called a literature review, or a review of literature. It is a survey of previously published research on a topic. It should give an overview of current thinking on the topic. And, unlike an original research article, it will not present new experimental results. Writing a review of literature is to provide a ...
How to Write an Article Review: Template & Examples
Article Review vs. Response Paper . Now, let's consider the difference between an article review and a response paper: If you're assigned to critique a scholarly article, you will need to compose an article review.; If your subject of analysis is a popular article, you can respond to it with a well-crafted response paper.; The reason for such distinctions is the quality and structure of ...
How to Write an Article Review: Types, Format, & Examples
Step 2: Read the Article Thoroughly. Begin by thoroughly reading the article. Take notes on key points, arguments, and evidence presented by the author. Understand the author's main thesis and the context in which the article was written.
How to Write an Article Review (with Sample Reviews)
2. Read the article thoroughly: Carefully read the article multiple times to get a complete understanding of its content, arguments, and conclusions. As you read, take notes on key points, supporting evidence, and any areas that require further exploration or clarification. 3. Summarize the main ideas: In your review's introduction, briefly ...
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Step 1: Define the right organization for your review. Knowing the future setup of your paper will help you define how you should read the article. Here are the steps to follow: Summarize the article — seek out the main points, ideas, claims, and general information presented in the article.
Writing an article REVIEW
A journal article review is written for a reader who is knowledgeable in the discipline and is interested not just in the coverage and content of the article being reviewed, but also in your critical assessment of the ideas and argument that are being presented by the author. Your review might be guided by the following questions:
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For an article review, your task is to identify, summarize, and evaluate the ideas and information the author has presented. You are being asked to make judgments, positive or negative, about the content of the article. The criteria you follow to do this will vary based upon your particular academic discipline and the parameters of your ...
How to Write an Article Review
Step 2: Read and Understand the Article. It's super important to read and understand the article before writing your review. Read the article a few times and jot down the notes as you go. Focus on the main arguments, major points, evidence, and how it's structured. For Example:
How to write a review article?
The fundamental rationale of writing a review article is to make a readable synthesis of the best literature sources on an important research inquiry or a topic. This simple definition of a review article contains the following key elements: The question (s) to be dealt with.
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For many kinds of assignments, like a literature review, you may be asked to offer a critique or review of a journal article.This is an opportunity for you as a scholar to offer your qualified opinion and evaluation of how another scholar has composed their article, argument, and research.That means you will be expected to go beyond a simple summary of the article and evaluate it on a deeper ...
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Article Identification. Start the first paragraph of your review with concise and clear article identification that specifies its title, author, name of the resource (e.g., journal, web, etc.), and the year of publication. Intro. Following the identification, write a short introductory paragraph.
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A review article is a type of professional essay writing. So you need to study its subject carefully. Use multiple sources and highlight the main arguments. Then form your own opinion on the given topic. In conclusion of your article review, you should bring new arguments for or against the author's opinion.
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Definition of What Is an Article Review and Its Meaning. An article review is a document that examines a literary text and summarizes it by addressing the most critical elements, such as the topic and its background, and its relevance. Ideally, scholars review articles to address specific issues that stand out, such as the author's ...
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Examples of literature reviews. Step 1 - Search for relevant literature. Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources. Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure. Step 5 - Write your literature review.
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Knowing the definition of an article review is necessary for all who are going to write it. A review of an article is a necessary condition for adequate perception of the text for further use of the provisions formulated in it. Today, a large number of scientific printed and electronic articles are published. In a vast amount of information ...
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A literature or narrative review is a comprehensive review and analysis of the published literature on a specific topic or research question. The literature that is reviewed contains: books, articles, academic articles, conference proceedings, association papers, and dissertations. It contains the most pertinent studies and points to important ...
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