How to Write a Review Article? Make Reviews Creative! Because Every Little Helps in Innovating Great Research!!

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.

Why write a review article?

Writing a review of literature is to provide a critical evaluation of the data available from existing studies. Review articles can identify potential research areas to explore next, and sometimes they will draw new conclusions from the existing data.

The main objective of writing a review paper is to evaluate the existing data or results, which can be done through analysis, modeling, classification, comparison, and summary. 

The goals of review article may be enumerated as follows 

To provide a comprehensive foundation on a topic.

To explain the current state of knowledge.

To identify gaps in existing studies for potential future research.

To highlight the main methodologies and research techniques.

Review papers can help to identify the research gaps.

 To explore potential areas in a particular field.

It helps to come out with new conclusions from already published works.

Any scholar or researcher or scientist who wants to carry out research on a specific theme, first read the review articles relevant to that research area to understand the research gap for arriving at the problem statement.

Writing a review article provides clarity, novelty, and contribution to the area of research.

It demands a great level of in-depth understanding of the subject and a well-structured arrangement of discussions and arguments.

Some journals publish only review papers, and they do not accept research articles. 

It is important to check the journal submission guidelines.

Types of review article

There are six types of review articles and of two categories .

They are 

A. Systematic Review

1. Journal paper review

2. Research paper review

3. Science paper review

B. Meta-Analysis

4 Domain based review

5.Theory based review

6. Methods based review 

A systematic review combines Journal paper review, Research paper review and Science paper review, which is in contrast, is more specific and attempts to address a highly focused research question. Its presentation is more detailed, with information on the search strategy used, the eligibility criteria for inclusion of studies, the methods utilized to review the collected information, and more.

A meta-analysis comprises  Domain based review, Theory based review and Methods based review which are similar to a systematic review in that both are systematically conducted with a properly defined research question. However, unlike the latter, a meta-analysis compares and evaluates a defined number of similar studies. It is quantitative in nature and can help assess contrasting study findings.

Step-by-Step Systematic Procedure to Write a Review Paper

1. Topic selection

   Select a suitable area in your research field formulate clear objectives, and prepare the specific research hypotheses that are to be explored.

2. Research design

   Designing your research work is an important step for any researcher. Based on the objectives, develop a clear methodology or protocol to review a review paper.

3. Data collection

   Thorough analysis and understanding of different published works help the author to identify suitable and relevant data/results that will be used to write the paper.

4. Data analysis

   The degree of analysis to evaluate the collected data varies by extensive review. The examination of trends, patterns, ideas, comparisons, and relationships in the study 

5. Report : Interpretation of results is very important for a good review paper. The author should present the discussion systematically without any ambiguity.

6. Results: The results can be presented in descriptive form, tables, and figures. 

7. The new insights should have an in-depth discussion of the topic in line with fundamentals. 

8. Finally, the author is expected to present the limitations of the existing study with future perspectives

Tips for writing a good review article

Here are a few practices that can make the time-consuming process of writing a review article easier:

1. Define your question: Take your time to identify the research question and carefully articulate the topic of your review paper. 
2. Find good review : A good review should also add something new to the field in terms of a hypothesis, inference, or conclusion. 
3. Identify defined scientific question:  A carefully defined scientific question will give you more clarity in determining the novelty of your inferences.
4. Identify credible sources: Identify relevant as well as credible studies that you can base your review on, with the help of multiple databases or search engines. 
5. Search for alternative: It is also a good idea to conduct another search once you have finished your article to avoid missing relevant studies published during the course of your writing.
6. Take notes: A literature search involves extensive reading, which can make it difficult to recall relevant information subsequently. Therefore, make notes while conducting the literature search and note down the source references. This will ensure that you have sufficient information to start with when you finally get to writing.
7. Describe the title, abstract, and introduction: A good starting point to begin structuring your review is by drafting the title, abstract, and introduction. Explicitly writing down what your review aims to address in the field will help shape the rest of your article.
8. Be unbiased and critical: Evaluate every piece of evidence in a critical but unbiased manner. This will help you present a proper assessment and a critical discussion in your article.
9. Include a good summary: End by stating the take-home message and identify the limitations of existing studies that need to be addressed through future studies.
10. Ask for feedback from your trusted one: Ask a colleague to provide feedback on both the content and the language or tone of your article before you submit it.
11. Check your choosen journal’s guidelines: Some journals only publish reviews, while some only publish research articles. Further, all journals clearly indicate their aims and scope. 
12. Check Appropriateness of the journal with the review paper: Therefore, make sure to check the appropriateness of a journal before submitting your article

Some key points to Pay Attention 

Before you submit your review article

1. Complete this checklist before you submit your review article

2. Have you checked the journal’s aims and scope?

3. Have you defined the scope of your article?

4. Did you use multiple search engines to find sources to evaluate?

5. Have you written a descriptive title and abstract using keywords?

6. Did you start with an overview of the topic?

6. Have you presented a critical discussion?

7. Have you included future suggestions for research in your conclusion?

8. Have you asked a friend to do a final spell and grammar check?

Sample format of a review article

Section of the paper	What it should contain
Introduction & Background	Make it brief (~1/5 of the paper’s total length). Grab the reader's interest while introducing the topic. Explain the "big picture" relevance. Provide the necessary background information.
Body of the Paper	Experimental Evidence:  Describe important results from recent primary literature articles and Explain how those results shape our current understanding of the topic. Mention the types of experiments done and their corresponding data, but do not repeat the experimental procedure step for step. Examples Point out and address any controversies in the field. Use figures and/or tables to present your own synthesis of the original data or to show key data taken directly from the original papers.
Conclusion	Succinctly summarize your major points. Point out the significance of these results. Discuss the questions that remain in the area. Keep it brief.
Literature Cited	Your instructor will give you a minimum number of references that you must use and cite in your paper. Typically, at least 8-10 references are required. Click for how to handle citing sources.