How to write a review article?

A review article is a scholarly method of introducing the reader to research results, ideas, and discussions on various topics in a concise form. In fact, it is the collection, analysis, and discussion of published information on a particular topic.

The research paper review is a useful, accessible tool. Especially for undergraduate and graduate students. Review articles serve certain functions in the field of science and technology development, such as:

• Systematization of disparate knowledge;
• collecting information about the state of the matter, reviewing the literature, comparing information from different sources;
• review of new knowledge, indicating trends in the development of this knowledge;
• highlighting new areas of research;
• review of promising ideas.

A literature review is a painstaking examination of bibliographies and other materials that are useful for research purposes and from which the necessary information relevant to the research problem can be extracted. The review is always selective: thousands of scientific articles are published every day in the world, and only the most important and recent publications on the topic should be selected among them.

How to write a scientific review?

A review article requires careful preparation and following the basic steps in working on it, which are as follows:

• Correctly defining the subject and topic;
• development of the work plan;
• literature search;
• selecting and accessing documents;
• enrichment of documentation through personal exchanges;
• document analysis;
• summarizing information;
• Writing a review article.

Before you write a review article, choose a form of review. They come in the following forms:

• an exhaustive review is a commentary on a bibliography that does not offer precise exhaustive information to answer a specific question professionally;
• descriptive review provides an overview of the state of constantly evolving scientific knowledge today and is useful material in educational institutions;
• evaluative review is an assessment of scientific results for science and society;
• literature review is a review of the literature on a particular problem.

Next, prepare a script to help organize the article. The script should precede the review text in order to follow the logic of the writing. The script is nothing more than an extended, detailed outline, following the structure of the scholarly article.

One of the most common weaknesses in writing reviews is the lack of logical structure in articles. If the author has a scientific style of presentation, her individual parts will be harmonious and logically coherent.

Once the main sections and the order in which they are considered have been defined, it is necessary to examine the article's theses from the perspective of its structural organization.

Structure of the review article 

A review article is a scientific article that should have the structure accepted in scientific periodicals. Therefore, review articles should include the following structural elements:

• Title. An important element that should interest the reader.
• Abstract. The abstract gives a general, brief idea of the work. At the time of writing the abstract, the author should have a good idea of what the article will be about and what might be interesting and important to the reader in it. Some authors leave the writing of this section to the end of the paper. But if you clearly see all the ideas that will be reflected in the work, you can write it first. Keep in mind that the abstract is as hard to read as it is to write, since it is limited to 200 words.
• Introduction. The introduction gives the reader information about the structure and interrelationship of the elements of the paper, saving him or her time. If the reader is interested in any particular sections of the review - he will read them.
• Main part. Remember that the review article is not a bibliographic review. Your task - to show the level of scientific study of the problem, if possible provide a critical evaluation of published works on the problem in question and draw conclusions based on these works.
• Conclusions. The conclusions of the review article are recommendations for further research or proposals for the implementation of scientific innovations to solve specific problems.

Why write review articles?

The preparation and publication of review articles helps the author broaden his scientific horizons. There is a good demand for review articles from publishers and the readership.

Choose the topic of a review article in your area of scientific interest. This will help you better learn, understand, and maybe find something new in your work. If the review is interesting, useful, and liked by your readers, it will lead to more citations of your work. And this will increase your Hirsch index.