What exactly is a Critical Review of a Journal Article?

An essential review of a journal article evaluates the benefits and drawbacks in the article’s ideas and content. It offers description, analysis and interpretation which allow readers to evaluate the article’s value.

When You Begin to see the Article

• How much does the title lead you to expect regarding the article?
• Study any sub-headings to know the way the author organized the information.
• Begin to see the abstract for all those the author’s arguments.
• See the set of references to find out what research introduced for the author’s arguments. Would be the references recent? Would they represent important operate in the area?
• If at all possible, identify the author to know authority that individual to create in regards to the subject.
• Consult Web of Science to find out if other authors have reported the author’s work. (Take a look at ‘How to make use of E-Indexes’.) Will get the writer made an essential contribution to the thought of study?

Looking in the content: Details to consider

Begin to see the article carefully. Record your impressions and note sections appropriate for quoting.

• Who’s the intended audience?
• What’s the author’s purpose? To survey and summarize research about the subject? To provide a quarrel that develops past research? To refute another writer’s argument?
• Will the author define important terms?
• May be the information within the article fact or opinion? (Details may be verified, while opinions arise from interpretations of details.) Will the information appear well-researched or even can it be unsupported?
• What are author’s central arguments or conclusions? Could it be clearly stated? Could it be based on evidence and analysis?
• When the article reports by getting a test or study, will the author clearly outline methodology along with the expected result?
• May be the article missing information or argumentation that you simply vulnerable to find?
• May be the article organized logically and clear to see?
• Will the writer’s style suit the intended audience? May be the style stilted or unnecessarily complicated?
• May be the author’s language objective or billed with emotion and bias?
• If illustrations or charts are utilized, could it be effective in presenting information?

Make a summary

Review information. Choose a statement that expresses the central purpose or thesis in the review. When considering a thesis, think about the author’s intentions and whether or not you think individuals intentions were effectively recognized. Eliminate all notes that don’t communicate with your thesis. Organize your remaining points into separate groups for example points about structure, style, or argument. Devise might sequence for presenting these ideas. Keep in mind that the opinions must support your central thesis.

Write the first Draft

Review should start getting a whole citation need to know ,. For instance:

Platt, Kevin M. F. “Background Despotism, or: Hayden White-colored-colored-colored versus. Ivan the Terrible and Peter the great.In . Rethinking History 3:3 (1999). 247-269.

NOTE: Make use of the same bibliographic citation format whenever you would for virtually any bibliography, works reported or reference list.

It has a typical documentation style for example MLA or APA.

Ensure to ask about your instructor which citation style to make use of. For generally used style guides consult Queen’s Library’s Citation and elegance Guides.

The first paragraph may have:

• a remark in the thesis
• the author’s purpose on paper the data
• comments about how precisely the data pertains to other focus on one subject
• specifics of the author’s status or authority within the field

The body within the review should:

• condition your arguments for that thesis
• continue with the logical advancement of ideas that you simply mapped within your outline
• include quotes inside the article which illustrate much of your ideas

The concluding paragraph may:

• summarize your review
• restate your thesis

Revise the first Draft

Ideally, you need to leave the initial draft for any couple of days before revising. This enables you to definitely certainly obtain a more objective perspective within your ideas. Check for the following when revising:

• grammar and punctuation errors
• organization, logical development and solid support in the thesis
• errors in quotes or even in references

You may create major revisions within the organization or content in the review with the revision process. Revising could even produce a radical difference in your central thesis.

NOTE: Created by College of Toronto Mississauga Library, Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Center

Last Updated: 03 November 2009