Tips on Writing a Review Article

A review article or Literature review is an article that deals with an overview of previously published research. This review article is a synopsis or a survey of a previously published research.

Review articles are great resources for researchers who will need them in the future, it gives a brief on what research deals with this, these tips will help you to understand what it requires to write good review articles;

Understand the Journal: Before you start writing a review article, it is very important to know about submission guidelines of the journal you are sending it to. This will help you to know whether or not to write the review article in the first place, since it’s not all journals accept review article.

Preparation: Being prepared is greatly valued when writing a review article. It helps you to concentrate on what you are writing. Preparation in the sense of defining the sphere of your specialization.

Jot while reading: Before you can write a review article, it is important to have picked a journal. However, it is also important to jot down things that are important and which will save you time when you begin to write. Jotting down a quote, paragraph or pages of an important point will quicken your review article and this will save you enough time and energy.

Concise: Be very cautious of your article when you are writing one this includes being concise in your work. By being concise you include only important information and no long sentences. Make it short and pointy to the point.

Critically analyze the literature: Before you write a review article, make sure you have critically read through the literature which serves as your major references. By this, you will understand well before writing and this will prevent you from having blocks and short of points while writing.

Your topic overview: Your topic should portray what your research is centered on. However, in the introduction of your work, make sure what you are writing on is well explained in an overview. This will give the reader an insight into what your work is centered upon and also guides them on what to expect from your review article.

Take note of your structure: A review article may be rich in details but poor in structure. The structure of your article must logically be arranged. This will make it easier for readers to read your work and not missing objectives out. Make sure you have an introduction which gives a quick look into what your article will be discussing, then a context-body, this will consist of the whole works of your research. The body will be filled with detailed facts. Finally, your conclusion, this also includes a recap of everything you have written about in the body. Do not lump your structures together.

Get feedback on your work before submitting: Before you submit your review article, find a third mind which can help you review it and give you feedback. This will enable you to pinpoint where you have missed out grammatically or in referencing.

Finally, be mindful of your abstract, titles and keywords. This is what precedes your work and they must be well written.

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