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How to Write Article Summaries, Reviews & Critiques
- Writing an article SUMMARY
- Writing an article REVIEW
Writing an article CRITIQUE
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A critique asks you to evaluate an article and the author’s argument. You will need to look critically at what the author is claiming, evaluate the research methods, and look for possible problems with, or applications of, the researcher’s claims.
Introduction
Give an overview of the author’s main points and how the author supports those points. Explain what the author found and describe the process they used to arrive at this conclusion.
Body Paragraphs
Interpret the information from the article:
- Does the author review previous studies? Is current and relevant research used?
- What type of research was used – empirical studies, anecdotal material, or personal observations?
- Was the sample too small to generalize from?
- Was the participant group lacking in diversity (race, gender, age, education, socioeconomic status, etc.)
- For instance, volunteers gathered at a health food store might have different attitudes about nutrition than the population at large.
- How useful does this work seem to you? How does the author suggest the findings could be applied and how do you believe they could be applied?
- How could the study have been improved in your opinion?
- Does the author appear to have any biases (related to gender, race, class, or politics)?
- Is the writing clear and easy to follow? Does the author’s tone add to or detract from the article?
- How useful are the visuals (such as tables, charts, maps, photographs) included, if any? How do they help to illustrate the argument? Are they confusing or hard to read?
- What further research might be conducted on this subject?
Try to synthesize the pieces of your critique to emphasize your own main points about the author’s work, relating the researcher’s work to your own knowledge or to topics being discussed in your course.
From the Center for Academic Excellence (opens in a new window), University of Saint Joseph Connecticut
Additional Resources
All links open in a new window.
Writing an Article Critique (from The University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center)
How to Critique an Article (from Essaypro.com)
How to Write an Article Critique (from EliteEditing.com.au)
How to Write an Article Critique Like a Pro (from Citetotal.com)
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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.
Article Critique: How to Critique an Article in APA Format

Writing a critique essay is usually seen as an intimidating task because the very word ‘critique’ is often associated with something negative. But in this sense critique is neither inherently good nor bad: it is a kind of feedback on the work performed by an article writer that highlights strong and weak points as well as gaps or potential paths of further development of the research. This overall positive image of writing should help students set to work with greater ease and confidence.
It is hard to explain in a few paragraphs how to critique an article because articles may belong to various areas of science with their particular content and form of presentation. It is easier to say what this writing is not: it is not an extensive summary of the article, it is not a compilation of personal opinions or outright judgmental claims about the article without evidence, and it is not a repetitive blabbering about a single aspect of the article.
So, after all, what is an article critique? It is in-depth analysis of most important sections of the article that relies on textual evidence and on wider context of the area of science in which the article is presented. Usually students are assigned articles that are within the familiar scope of knowledge, so placing them in context is not a big trouble.
When it goes how to write an article critique, several components are a must while others may be skipped or replaced with something different. It goes without saying that work with the article begins with thorough reading, two or three times, plus note-taking and jotting down the ideas and considerations that cross your mind during reading.
In the video below you will learn how to critique a journal article.
Now back to the writing. Read the points and questions below, answer them to yourself, put down your answers and you arrive at a rough draft of an article critique example – just created by you to fit the requirements.
- Introduction – contains author’s name, article title and date of publication as well as source. It also provides the overall idea of your critique that you plan to develop further.
- Problem/hypothesis – is it accessible for exploration, is it important, is it outlined sufficiently?
- Literature review – is it substantial, presents opposing views, relies on recent and credible sources? Are sources relevant to the article?
- Method of research – is the design suitable for a given field? Is sample selection unbiased and representative? Are instruments valid and suitable for a given research?
- Results – are they presented in sufficient scope? Are they persuasive and reliable?
- Discussion – are results tested against hypothesis? What other researchers say about this issue and their own results?
- Recommendation – are there any solutions or recommendations for future made?
- Conclusion . It sums up concisely everything said before. May contain your own ideas about developing or improving the work in question.
Article and Essay Critique Example
So now it is more or less clear what should go into the article critique format but what about the real papers? The best way to get a grip on something is to see it closely and then try in person. So it is quite logical that students seek every available example of article critique to read closely and then use as a guideline for writing their own critique.
As practice shows, this way of dealing with critique pieces is a successful one, so we offer a variety of samples of this writing dedicated to the widest range of subjects and fields of study. Choose one and investigate its structure, language, elements and figures of speech (or their absence) – in other words, everything you need to complete your critique assignment successfully. You can imitate the cool tricks and interesting elements in your own paper, just do not copy-paste directly from the critique essay example, it is called cheating.
APA Format for Article Critique
When it goes about APA format article critique it may seem that the whole essay should follow some rigid pattern. But actually, it is about overall formatting with little impact on content of the paper.
Any article critique example APA opens up with a cover page that shows a paper title, student name, college or university name and date. Next goes the abstract. This is the specific feature of APA style so do not skip it. Abstract is about half a page long and it sums up what will be presented in the critique, that is, main points of analysis and overall significance of the research. The main body includes all sections analyzing and critiquing the article. Conclusion summarizes what was said but in brief. The last important section is References. Whichever additional sources were involved in writing, they are to be listed here in APA style.
The general formatting standard is 12 pt font, Times New Roman, double-spaced with one-inch margins. These basics can be found in almost all the popular formatting styles, so you will make no mistake when following them in all of your papers.

Teacher Rose has been working as an English teacher and tutor for more than five years. She is aware of all peculiarities of the English language, and her vocabulary is very rich. After finishing Oxford university, she has worked as a freelance ghostwriter, where she managed to master her writing skills.
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How to Critique a Journal Article

Most scholars and practitioners are passionate about learning how to critique a journal article. Journal article critique is a formal evaluation of a journal article or any type of literary or scientific content. As a careful, complete examination of a study, journal article critique judges the strengths, weaknesses, logical links, meanings and significance of the content presented in an article. The core aim of performing a journal article critique is to show whether or not the arguments and facts that the author provided are reasonable to support their main points. A writer of a journal article critique is expected to identify a scientific article and subject it to a critical discussion based on their point of view, but following a set of conventional guidelines.
Features of a Good Article Critique
When doing a journal article, you are expected to do the following for each section of a research article :
- Explain what was done right with evidence from the journal article being critiqued.
- Explain what was not done right, possible reasons, and what ought to have been done.
- Explain what you think could have been done or what you could do to make it better.
- Given a brief recommendation for future researchers.
What this means is that you must first of all know exactly the nature of structure and content that you expect from a journal article. Without this knowledge, it will be difficult to critique a journal article and write a quality piece of writing from it. Having done these, your journal article critique will reflect the following characteristics.
i). It should have a unique opinion discussion
Article critique does not represent a simple summary of an article. Most students make a mistake of writing a mere summary of the research article after they read it. It is worth noting that journal articles already have summaries and that is not what readers actually want, but a unique opinion and discussion is what counts as a quality journal article critique.
ii). Evidence
As a writer, you are not expected to provide just your impressions of the article, but also evidence that sets expressions as well. Of course you are not asked to write a new content, but as you write your viewpoint of it, it is critical to support them with evidence.
iii). Identification of the Main Idea
Ensure that you identify the main idea of the article. Each journal article is published to transmit a specific idea that gives it a purpose. Furthermore, remember to clarify the background and significance.
iv). Dual Direction
Do not focus only on the issues that a given article has raised, but also give attention to the important issues that it has left out. There could some content or explanations that you could expect a journal article to present, but that was left out. Explain it and tell the difference it could have caused.
Areas of Journal Article Critique
Article critique fundamentally focuses on evaluating all the sections of a an article to determine its consistency with the scientific research and writing standards. Thus, each section of an article is subjected to critique as follows:
Introduction
- Check the extent to which the title of the article interest and allow you to have an immediate idea of the content of the research.
- Identify the authors of the research article and/or parties that conducted the research is published.
- Identify and apprise the journal in which the article the article is published.
- Evaluate the introduction in terms of how it describes the purpose and background of the study.
- Explain if the research question is consistent with the purpose of the study.
- Recognize the potential effect of the research article to your current practice.
Literature Review
- Find out if the sources of literature review in the article are current (i.e published within the last 5-10 years).
- Evaluate the theories used in relation to relevance to the independent and dependent variables. Ask yourself if the theories explain the phenomenon under investigation.
- Check whether if the literature reviewed is relevant to the research (some content of the literature may be pulled randomly and may not reflect the variables of the study.
Methodology
- Identify and explain the research design that enabled the creation of a journal article being critiqued.
- Check the research method that was adopted and evaluate its appropriateness to the research question and context. For example, questionnaires may not be appropriate among illiterate populations.
- Evaluate the method of sampling and explain if it is appropriate to the topic and population characteristics.
- Check the possibility of biases in the sample. If biased, explain the reason and what could be done to prevent biases from occurring.
- Appraise the size of the sample in relation to the population and desired significance levels.
- Identify and critique the tools that were used to collect data, procedures through which data was collected, and their validity, reliability and accuracy.
- Find out if the researchers got ethical approval to conduct the study and if not, why.
- Overall, explain if the methods of research have been explained adequately.
Results and Findings
- Check how data was analyzed.
- Briefly explain the main findings of the research.
- Evaluate the way in which results are displayed (Is it done in a clear and understandable manner?)
- Check if the authors have discussed the results in relation to the original problem they identified in the introduction section.
- Find out if the findings have been related to the literature review and consistencies/inconsistencies identified and explained. (Have the authors cited only the pertinent literature?)
- Check if the conclusion captures all aspects of the study from introduction to the end.
- Analyze the nature of conclusions presented and if they answer the research question.
- Analyze and explain the main strengths and weaknesses of the study.
- Identify what you think is the main limitations of the study and if they were identified by the authors.
- Check if the author(s) provided suggestions for future research.
- Go through the references and check if they consistently adhere to a given referencing style.
From the above discussion, it is evident that journal article critique is an involving activity that require active reading, developing an outline, questioning authors’ main points, identifying contradictions, writing down the content of the critique, and revising it to make it perfect. You can now practice by downloading a few articles and trying to critique them. This will give you a good opportunity to learn from experience and perfect your article critique skills.

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How to Critique an Article? All you Need to Know!

Some of you may have already written this type of academic assignment also known as a response paper. Critique article is the paper to make students highlight their evaluation of a particular article, book, statement, etc. The evaluation may consider different topics and sources including scientific articles, literature or poems. A student needs to show if the author delivers enough arguments to support his or her point of view. Looks pretty tough right? Our useful tips will let you handle the task with ease.
Once you get into details, you will see that the concept of the paper, as well as other papers (like physic paper) is rather simple. This is why most instructors and teachers do not provide additional explanations and requirements. The result of the world totally depends on your ability to stress the key points, problems, and arguments. Even the writing style is not as important as the ability to analyses. The best way is to find an article you like and discuss it with friends or relatives. It will give the writing process a boost of energy. At least, you will define a direction to get started.
Here are some crucial aspects your paper is supposed to provide:
- It is not a summary. You do not need simply to list the points and problems discovered in the source. The main idea is to critique them. This is actually why the assignment has its name;
- Another common mistake students make is delivering heir impression instead of arguments to support their point of view. You need to focus on clear evidence and back them up;
- Do not concentrate on the main idea only. Every event has the cause and result. So, you need to provide the background in addition to the purpose of your critiques.
After we have finally defined the purpose of this academic paper, let’s check the insights and find out some of its samples and APA structure. Our tips will certainly out an ease on your writing process.

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Article Critique Example
Article critique samples and examples are a good opportunity to make the writing process faster and simpler. With so many websites providing academic help, you can easily find some solid paper examples as the background for your own work. Do not simply copy those papers. Use them as a guide for your work.
It may help in a great way. Most samples depict a proper formatting manner depending on the style. You can use them as a writing template for APA, MLA, Harvard and other formatting styles. Our paper examples will save your hours and days of desperate writing and look for academic assistance. To ensure good academic results and high grades, download article critique samples here:
APA format article critique
Most instructors care the most about a proper formatting rather than the content. You may have a flawless paper from grammar and spelling perspectives, it may highlight the most genius ideas. However, you will never get a good mark for your work, unless it is properly formatted. As a rule, professor assigns several popular styles including APA, MLA, Harvard and some others. This time we will review the APA format for an article critique. First of all, we will identify the core elements of the paper for an APA structure:

1. Introduction. Abstract comes first unless you need to provide a cover page. As a rule, it is 150-250 words long. It should be written on a separate page and contain some core ideas of the major work. Don’t forget a centered “Abstract” title on top of the page;
- Agreeing with, defending or confirming a particular point of view
- Proposing a new point of view
- Conceding to an existing point of view, but qualifying certain points
- Reformulating an existing idea for a better explanation
- Dismissing a point of view through an evaluation of its criteria
- Reconciling two seemingly different points of view
2. Body Paragraphs – it is high time you wrote the main paragraphs of your work. Describe all details you think may help to deliver an argumentative article critique. Highlight methods you use in addition to purposes and causes;
- Observing and identifying objects for analysis
- Describing features
- Defining, referring, classifying, distinguishing, or comparing terms
- Illustrating or exemplifying a general point to explain or apply it
- Theorizing about or explaining why things are the way they are
- Conjecturing or speculating about explanations
- Evaluating the adequacy of our observations
3. Reference Page is the last element of your paper. It includes the list of sources and works cited in the text. Each reference should be arranged in accordance with APA requirements and include the following:
- author’s last name
- publication date
- source name written in Italics
- the number of age.
When it comes to in-text citation, APA considers its own format. You need to out the author’s name and publication date in brackets. This style is also known as the author-date system. Do not forget to include the name of the page at the end once you are eager to provide the author’s quote.
Once you properly implement the tips above, you will never find it difficult to write an article critique paper. Here is a template for your APA paper formatting style. Memorize it to avoid time-consuming writing challenges. If you don’t want to deal with this, then just leave us the request 'I want to pay someone to do my assignment ' and our expert writers will help you to get your assignment done!
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How to Critique an Article Right and Easy
Updated 01 Feb 2023
When an average person thinks about how to critique an article, they usually believe that the purpose is to find all the wrong points and be as critical as possible. Our guide helps to demystify the majority of questions related to the article critique. These basic rules, explanations, and an example can help you learn along. Even if you receive cryptic instructions from your college professor, our article critique guide will make things clearer as you continue!
What is an Article Critique?
In simple terms, an article critique is a type of essay writing where an author should provide sufficient, unbiased, critical evaluation of the article in question. Of course, it will involve at least a brief summary of the contents and information about the author's background (if it is necessary). Yet, it does not have to turn into a listing of the contents! Knowing how to summarize and critique an article means helping your audience see all the key points of the article along with the author's ideas, objectives, or major intentions. The main purpose of every article critique is to reveal the strengths and the weaknesses of the article by keeping the tone neutral in terms of personal considerations. Since it has to be written in formal language with a precise structure, one should follow the general academic pattern where analysis has the beginning or introduction, the body parts, and a strong conclusion that sums things up.
The trick is to read it more than once and describe how it makes you feel through the lens of academic objectives and the general academic value. Speaking of the purpose, composing an article critique, you have to describe the main ideas of the author. Provide a brief description of why it is important in your specific context. Next, remember to mention all the interesting aspects that help to reveal the value of the article. Finally, talk about the author's intention and vision regarding the subject. The final part of the article critique must offer a summary of the main purpose. Learning how to write a critique of an article, remember that your conclusion is the important part where you can let the audience know whether you agree or disagree with the author. It is the place to provide supporting thoughts and references either from the article or another academic source. Need a dissertation service ? Try us.
How to Write an Article Critique Step-by-Step?
The writing process of the article critique is simpler than it seems. It is only necessary to know where to start and how to align your critique when you are dealing with complex academic writing. Therefore, follow these simple four steps as you learn how to do an article critique:
- Take Enough Time to Read The Article. Such an approach is necessary to understand every idea described in your reading material. It may be challenging at times to understand it. Check it again or read it aloud to see if it makes more sense. When in doubt, you can consult similar sources or articles that further explain the subject. Consider the readability and clarity of the article as you criticize it.
- Take Notes. When the article feels clear to you and you understand (more or less!) what it is about, it is high time to read it again in a bit different way and take notes to help yourself move along. For example, if you encounter something interesting or an argument that moves you, you should consider it as something that is worth being discussed. You can either quote the part or use it as argumentation to prove your point.
- Turn Your Notes Into Outline. Your notes are there for a reason. You can implement them into your structure and use your points as the topic sentences as you discuss the important parts. As you let your article critique evolve, provide opinions or leave comments to help your audience understand things clearer.
- Your Opinion Comes Here. This is where you should summarize your thoughts and explain whether you like the article or if it has too many weak and unclear parts. Of course, your ideas should be supported with a piece of clear evidence.
Remember that if you have used any other reference or consulted external information beyond the article in question, always mention it on your Bibliography / References page. Every part of your article critique should be written in a proper way and sometimes qualified dissertation help online is just what you need to keep all your worries aside.
Learn About Article Critique Format & Structure
Unless it is specified otherwise, your article critique should follow this template:
- Outline. This is what your introduction should look like since you have to provide background information about the article and explain the author's main points without turning it into a summary. Approach things from the critical point of view.
- Thesis Statement. Your thesis statement should explain the value of the article or methodology if you are dealing with a research article critique.
- Article's Purpose. This part is your body paragraphs part where you have to brainstorm the author's ideas and crash-test them against the common knowledge. See what is good, what is insufficient, and what parts are the most important for achieving a certain purpose set by the author.
- Additional References. If you are dealing with a research article, it may be necessary to consult relevant external research papers to prove the importance and methodology of the article before you explain your opinion.
- Conclusion/Summary With Your Opinion. The conclusion part of the article critique is usually the most challenging. It is where you have to explain your opinion. The trick is just saying how the article has made you feel, how it has helped you, or what flaws you have found, always providing relevant evidence.
Without a doubt, you may have to provide a different structure, yet following the structure above is the perfect balance where you express both your findings, opinion, and the general variables. Remember that your article critique must cover not only the negative points that you encounter but the positive discoveries as well.
How to Write an Article Critique: Journal vs Research Article
The major difference between writing a research article critique and dealing with the general journal article is the approach that you have to take. As a rule, research articles represent empirical or primary sources. It means your critique style must consider the introduction provided by the author, the methods that have been used, the samples and surveys, the results of the certain research, and the discussion of the outcomes that have been achieved.
Now dealing with the general review articles that mostly represent secondary sources with an already included synthesis of certain information, you should work with the topic and its importance for the general audience. In other words, the purpose is always different. You should provide more of a summary than the analytical research work. Coming back to the research article critique,try to study the problem and see if the author makes some statement. Then, focus on review of the relevant literature, and hypothesis or research questions set by the author.
Remember to review the Bibliographical information if it is provided and explain whether it poses importance for the review and if all the information mentioned in the article has been properly referenced. Remember you should also provide references for your quotes and references in your article critique in relevant writing style (APA, MLA, or Chicago) to avoid possible plagiarism issues.
The Article Critique Example
As an example of the article, let us take " Contribution of Psychoacoustics and Neuroaudiology in Revealing Correlation of Mental Disorders With Central Auditory Processing Disorders " that has been presented in 2003 by V. Iliadou and S. Lakovides. Below is the short passage, an article critique sample that will help you get an idea of how it’s done:
The article represents interesting and innovative research in the field of Psychoacoustics by focusing not only on the aspects of Neuroaudiology but also dealing with the electrical activity of the auditory pathways. The authors have dealt with the challenges of Central Auditory Processing Disorders, meaning that the article relates to the field of Psychiatry. This particular MEDLINE research has been conducted by turning to over 564 papers to establish the methodology and sufficient samples to maintain the importance of psychoacoustic elements through the lens of neurological or mental disorders. What makes this research special is the use of various tests and experiments that have been done with the help of auditory simulation methods. All the sources provided are properly referenced and offer sufficient background regarding the reasons why particular scientific aspects have been highlighted. The authors provide a unique balance between psychoacoustic and electrophysiologic tests based on the type of lesion chosen. It must be noted that the various types of mental disorders have been taken into consideration to provide well-weighted research. The article meets its purpose of providing varied research based on the works of skilled experts in Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuropsychology, and Pediatric Psychology among other sciences. The value of the article also lies in the importance of addressing numerous learning challenges like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism differently because the auditory aspect is explored at greater depth. Although the educational factor is mentioned briefly as the article is more evidence-based, it leaves enough space for relevant scientific research.
As you can see, the purpose is to explain and show why the article is important and what exactly makes it special. Try offering related evidence from the critique article either with the quotes or by paraphrasing.
Affordable & Reliable Writing an Article Critique Help
If the concept of article critique still seems too confusing to you or you would like to get your critique assignment checked in terms of clarity, style, or plagiarism, the help is out there. Regardless if you need to learn how to write an article review or struggle with critique writing, we know how to make things easier. Turn to our writers who are ready to help you 24/7. Keep your challenges resolved, meet the deadlines and avoid plagiarism. Just place your order with EduBirdie and let our professionals deal with even the most complex article critique or any other college task.
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How to Critique an Article
Last Updated: September 25, 2022 Approved
This article was co-authored by Richard Perkins and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD . Richard Perkins is a Writing Coach, Academic English Coordinator, and the Founder of PLC Learning Center. With over 24 years of education experience, he gives teachers tools to teach writing to students and works with elementary to university level students to become proficient, confident writers. Richard is a fellow at the National Writing Project. As a teacher leader and consultant at California State University Long Beach's Global Education Project, Mr. Perkins creates and presents teacher workshops that integrate the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the K-12 curriculum. He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 25 testimonials and 87% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 915,778 times.
A critique of an article is the objective analysis of a literary or scientific piece, with emphasis on whether or not the author supported the main points with reasonable and applicable arguments based on facts. It's easy to get caught up in simply summarizing the points of an article without truly analyzing and challenging it. A good critique demonstrates your impressions of the article, while providing ample evidence to back up your impressions. As the critic, take time to read carefully and thoughtfully, prepare your arguments and evidence, and write clearly and cogently.
Reading Actively

- What is the author's thesis/argument?
- What is the author's purpose in arguing said thesis?
- Who is the intended audience? Does the article effectively reach this audience?
- Does the author have ample and valid evidence?
- Are there any holes in the author's argument?
- Did the author misrepresent evidence or add bias to evidence?
- Does the author reach a conclusive point?

- For example, you could underline important passages, circle confusing ones, and star inconsistencies.
- Creating a legend with assigned symbols allows you to quickly mark up an article. Though it may take a little bit of time to recognize your own symbols, they will quickly become ingrained in your mind and allow you to breeze through an article much quicker than without a symbol legend.

- Don't be foolish enough to think that you will remember your idea when it comes time to write your critique.
- Spend the necessary time writing down your observations as you read. You will be glad you did when it comes time to put your observations into a complete analytical paper.

- Make a list of possible sources of evidence for your critique. Jog your memory for any literature you've read or documentaries you've seen that might be useful for evaluating the article.
Gathering Evidence

- Even if an author has done research and quoted respected experts, analyze the message for its practicality and real world application.

- Bias includes ignoring contrary evidence, misappropriating evidence to make conclusions appear different than they are, and imparting one's own, unfounded opinions on a text. Well-sourced opinions are perfectly OK, but those without academic support deserve to be met with a skeptical eye.
- Bias can also come from a place of prejudice. Note any biases related to race, ethnicity, gender, class, or politics.

- Note any inconsistencies between your interpretation of a text and the author's interpretation of a text. Such conflict may bear fruit when it comes time to write your review.
- See what other scholars have to say. If several scholars from diverse backgrounds have the same opinion about a text, that opinion should be given more weight than an argument with little support.

- These aspects of an article can reveal deeper issues in the larger argument. For example, an article written in a heated, overzealous tone might be ignoring or refusing to engage with contradictory evidence in its analysis.
- Always look up the definitions of unfamiliar words. A word's definition can completely change the meaning of a sentence, especially if a particular word has several definitions. Question why an author chose one particular word instead of another, and it might reveal something about their argument.

- Does the author detail the methods thoroughly?
- Is the study designed without major flaws?
- Is there a problem with the sample size?
- Was a control group created for comparison?
- Are all of the statistical calculations correct?
- Would another party be able to duplicate the experiment in question?
- Is the experiment significant for that particular field of study?

- While there is no such thing as too much good evidence, over-sourcing can also be a problem if your arguments become repetitive. Make sure each source provides something unique to your critique.
- Additionally, don't allow your use of sources to crowd out your own opinions and arguments.

- If you do agree entirely with the author, therefore, make sure to build upon the argument either by providing additional evidence or complicating the author's idea.
- You can provide contradictory evidence to an argument while still maintaining that a particular point of view is the correct one.
- Don't “take it easy” on the author due to misguided empathy; but neither should you be excessively negative in an attempt to prove your critical bona fides. Forcefully express your defensible points of agreement and disagreement.
Formatting Your Critique

- Be sure to include the name of the author, article title, the journal or publication the article appeared in, the publication date, and a statement about the focus and/or thesis of the article in your introductory paragraph(s).
- The introduction is not the place to provide evidence for your opinions. Your evidence will go in the body paragraphs of your critique.
- Be bold in your introductory assertions and make your purpose clear right off the bat. Skirting around or not fully committing to an argument lessens your credibility.

- Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the content of the paragraph to come. Don't feel like you have to condense the entire paragraph into the topic sentence, however. This is purely a place to transition into a new or somehow different idea.
- End each body paragraph with a transitional sentence that hints at, though does not explicitly state, the content of the paragraph coming next. For example, you might write, "While John Doe shows that the number of cases of childhood obesity is rising at a remarkable rate in the U.S., there are instances of dropping obesity rates in some American cities." Your next paragraph would then provide specific examples of these anomalous cities that you just claimed exist.

- You might, for instance, utilize a counterargument, in which you anticipate a critique of your critique and reaffirm your position. Use phrases like “Admittedly,” “It is true that,” or “One might object here” to identify the counterargument. Then, answer these possible counters and turn back to your strengthened argument with “but,” “yet,” or “nevertheless.”

- While writing “This piece of garbage is an insult to historians everywhere” might garner attention, “This article falls short of the standards for scholarship in this area of historical study” is more likely to be taken seriously by readers.

- Are there broad implications for the field of study being assessed, or does your critique simply attempt to debunk the messy work of another scholar?
- Do your best to make a lasting mark on the reader in the conclusion by using assertive language to demonstrate the importance of your work: “Challenging the claims of such a distinguished scholar is no easy or enjoyable task, but it is a task we all must agree to do for our generation and those to follow.”
Sample Critique

Expert Q&A

Video . By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.
- Avoid style-based critiques that include comments such as "I liked it" or "It was written poorly." Instead, focus on the content of the article. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 18 Not Helpful 4
- Avoid summarizing the article at all costs. It is better to write a shorter critique than to attempt to fill up blank space with boring summation. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 19 Not Helpful 5
- Write your critique in the third person and present tense, unless the style indicates another preference. Always review the style guidelines prior to starting to write. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 40 Not Helpful 8
- Write with confidence and bold assertion. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 30 Not Helpful 11
- Always proofread your written work at least twice before turning it in to your professor, boss, or publisher. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 32 Not Helpful 13

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- ↑ Richard Perkins. Writing Coach & Academic English Coordinator. Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.
- ↑ http://www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/Howtocritiqueajournalarticle.pdf
- ↑ https://www.jmu.edu/uwc/files/link-library/CritiqueHandout.pdf
About This Article

To critique an article, first read it and take notes on the author's overall argument to help you develop a preliminary opinion. Then go back through the article to look for evidence that supports your position. Ask whether the author’s logic make sense, for example, or if they demonstrate any bias in their writing. Look at any claims the author makes about other texts, then read those texts yourself to see if the author's points are valid. For more information on critiquing an article, like including a counterargument, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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How to Write a Psychology Critique Paper
Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.
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Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.
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Cultura RM / Gu Cultura / Getty Images
Critique papers require students to conduct a critical analysis of another piece of writing, often a book, journal article, or essay. No matter what your major is, you will probably be expected to write a critique paper at some point.
For psychology students, critiquing a professional paper is a great way to learn more about psychology articles, writing, and the research process itself. Students will analyze how researchers conduct experiments, interpret results, and discuss the impact of the results.
Steps for Writing an Effective Critique Paper
While these tips are designed to help students writing a psychology critique paper, many of the same principles apply to writing critiques in other subject areas as well.
Your first step should always be a thorough read-through of the material you will be analyzing and critiquing. It needs to be more than just a casual skim read—think in-depth with an eye toward key elements.
The following guideline can help you assess what you are reading and make better sense of the material.
- In addition to answering these basic questions, note other information provided in the introduction and any questions that you have.
- Remember to jot down questions and thoughts that come to mind as you are reading. Once you have finished reading the paper, you can then refer back to your initial questions and see which ones remain unanswered.
- Make note of any questions you have or any information that does not seem to make sense. You can refer back to these questions later as you are writing your final critique.
- If you agree with the researcher's conclusions, explain why. If you feel that the researchers are incorrect or off-base, point out problems with the conclusions and suggest alternative explanations.
- Another alternative is to point out questions that the researchers failed to answer in the discussion section.
Begin Writing Your Own Critique of the Paper
Once you have read the article, compile your notes and develop an outline that you can follow as you write your psychology critique paper. Here's a guide that will walk you through how to structure your critique paper.
Introduction
Begin your paper by describing the journal article and authors you are critiquing. Provide the main hypothesis (or thesis) of the paper. Explain why you think the information is relevant.
Thesis Statement
The final part of your introduction should include your thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the main idea of your critique. Your thesis should briefly sum up the main points of your critique.
Article Summary
Provide a brief summary of the article. Outline the main points, results, and discussion.
When describing the study or paper, experts suggest that you include a summary of the questions being addressed, study participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design.
Don't get bogged down by your summary. This section should highlight the main points of the article you are critiquing. Don't feel obligated to summarize each little detail of the main paper. Focus on giving the reader an overall idea of the content of the article.
Your Analysis
In this section, you will provide your critique of the article. Describe any problems you had with the author's premise, methods, or conclusions. You might focus your critique on problems with the author's argument, presentation, information, and alternatives that have been overlooked.
When evaluating a study, summarize the main findings—including the strength of evidence for each main outcome—and consider their relevance to key demographic groups.
Organize your paper carefully. Be careful not to jump around from one argument to the next. Arguing one point at a time ensures that your paper flows well and is easy to read.
Your critique paper should end with an overview of the article's argument, your conclusions, and your reactions.
More Tips When Writing a Psychology Critique Paper
- As you are editing your paper, utilize a style guide published by the American Psychological Association, such as the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .
- Reading scientific articles can be difficult. You might want to read up on how to read (and understand) psychology journal articles .
- Take a rough draft of your paper to your school's writing lab for additional feedback and make use of your university library's resources.
Pautasso M. Ten simple rules for writing a literature review . PLoS Comput Biol . 2013;9(7):e1003149. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003149
Gülpınar Ö, Güçlü AG. How to write a review article? Turk J Urol . 2013;39(Suppl 1):44–48. doi:10.5152/tud.2013.054
By Kendra Cherry Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology.
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How to Critique a Research Article – Complete Guide
- Fred Waititu
- June 13, 2022
- How To's
Here's What We'll Cover
If you are here, it means you have been tasked with writing a research article critique. Are you wondering how to get started and what to include? Don’t worry! In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how to critique a research article effectively and provide you with an outline you can use. However, if you feel inadequate to undertake the writing yourself after reading through this article, we would be happy to offer our affordable and professional writing services .
What is a Research Article Critique?
A research critique is an evaluation of a piece of research. The evaluation should identify and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the article.
Your task is to identify whether the piece is wrong or good, assess how well it interprets sources, and build its argument using valid reasoning supported by the prevailing evidence.
Purpose of Research Article Critique
A research critique aims to evaluate a research article’s content critically. Your critique should be constructive. This means that you should not simply point out what is wrong with the article but also offer suggestions for improving it. Keeping this in mind, let’s look at a purpose of a research article.
Describing is the standard method used to identify the article’s main idea and what the author desires to express. When describing a research article, it is essential to remember that your goal is to carefully study and develop information from the article that will be truthful, reliable, and useful.
Analyzing is the process of inspecting/examining the content of the research article and restructuring each valid point to develop an explanation of the article. It is important to analyze because it creates a deeper understanding of the content in a research article.
Interpreting is giving observation on the writer’s intention. It is an opportunity for you to discuss your understanding of the writer’s words and make sense of the results you have complied from the content of the research article.
Assessing is collecting and reviewing the relevant and valuable information you have provided. It further provides helpful feedback on the research article.
Difference Between Critique and Summary of a Research Article.
A critique is different from a summary in the following key ways:
- A critique evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a research article. In contrast, a summary provides an overview of the article’s main points.
- A critique offers your analysis and interpretation of the research, whereas a summary reports what the article says.
- A critique is usually shorter than a summary, as they focus on specific aspects of the article rather than providing a comprehensive overview.
Similarities Between a Critique and Summary of a Research Article.
Here are a few similarities;
- Both are written in the present tense participle.
- Both should have the title of the piece you are writing and the author’s name.
- Both should be carefully proofread, written, and edited to their respective format.
Now that you know the difference between a critique and a summary, you’re one step closer to being able to write one!
What To Look For In a Research Article.
There are several vital points to consider when critiquing a research article . Here is a clear step-by-step guide for you:

The Target Audience
Is a specific group of people the target of the article’s appeal? No, a general audience should be the primary target for a research article. For example, You can use understandable language to the audience, void of jargon or unnecessary verbiage.
Research Approach (Paradigm)
Ensure the research approach is quantitative or qualitative.
- A quantitative research article uses collected and analyzed data using statistical methods.
- A qualitative research article utilizes data collected and analyzed through descriptive methods.
The Author and Their Qualifications
When looking for a research article to critique, ensure that the author is considered an expert in the specific topic.
- Are they knowledgeable about the topic?
- Are the opinions of the author valid?
- Does academic praise cover the author?
When Was The Article Published?
Look for a recently published research article when wanting to critique one. It is vital as you want to ensure that the article’s information is current and not outdated.
Relevancy
The article should be relevant to your field’s current issues and debates. It is vital as you want to be able to relate the information in the article to your research.
The Sources Used
The sources should be credible and cited correctly , void of links to untrustworthy sources. It’s crucial as you want the article’s information to be accurate. The best way to check the sources’ credibility is to look them up in a database such as EBSCO or PubMed.
Structure of a Research Article Critique
Let’s move on to the structure and give clear guidance on how to critique a research article.
The Introduction
The first part is the introduction. You should provide a brief overview of the research article in the introduction. These include;
- Does the author make a statement problem?
- Is research possible for the stated problem?
- Did the author discuss the significance of the problem?
Review of the Literature Comprehensive
- Are all the references appropriately cited?
- Is there a structure in the literature?
- Did the author analyze, critique, compare and contrast the reference and findings in the statements?
- Are all the hypotheses and research questions clear and valid?
- Is the hypothesis statement testable?
The Methods Section
The methods section of a research article will describe the research conduct. This includes information on the participants, materials used, and procedures followed. The methods section should be clear and concise so that readers can understand how the study was conducted.
The Participants
The following are essential points to consider when critiquing a research article:
- How well did the participants answer the research question?
- Did the participants give informed consent to the researchers?
- Did they protect their participants’ anonymity?
Instruments
- The appropriateness of the research methods used
- Were the instruments appropriate?
- Did the author obtain all rights?
Design and Procedures
- How was the collecting and analysis process of the data?
- Are all procedures applied correctly?
- Does the author state all the procedures?
Conclusions or Suggestions
In this section, you should summarize your overall evaluation of the research article. It would be best if you also discussed how the findings from the study contribute to understanding the topic and how firm the conclusions were.
The Summary
In this section, one discusses the written topic of the research article
- Are all performed procedures specified?
- Did the author shape their suggestions based on their study practical?
- How concise were the conclusions?
Future Research
- Did the author make any suggestions regarding future research?
Steps to Writing a Good Research Article Critique
Now that you know what to look for in a research article, you’re one step closer to being able to write a successful critique!
Here are the steps to follow when writing your research article critique:
Choose an Article
Picking a good research article to critique can be tricky. You want something that is neither easy nor difficult and will allow you to sharpen your critical thinking skills without being so challenging that you get frustrated.
Firstly, make sure the article is from a reputable source. This ensures that it’s well-researched and of high quality.
Secondly, choose an article that is relevant to your field of study. This is important as it will make it easier for you to understand and provide thoughtful feedback.
Thirdly, choose an article that’s not too long or complex. You want to be able to read and digest the entire thing without getting overwhelmed.
Read the Material
Reading the material is essential for several reasons and should be done methodically and efficiently. They include:
- Thorough reading allows you to understand the research article’s main idea and content.
- Allows you to identify and take notes on the key concepts to critique.
- It helps you to identify the appropriate approach to critiquing the research article.
- Develop a Preliminary Outline
It is a plan for structuring and organizing the element that constitutes the focus of your argument in the research article. Creating an outline helps you construct ideas in a stepwise manner and gives it a thoughtful flow.
These elements will allow you to pick relevant, helpful information to explain in the research article, so you should give it as much detail as possible.
- Question the Author’s Main Points
Upon creating your preliminary outline, choosing the strong main points to critique is vital. In critiquing the research article, you can also list your supporting ideas that strengthen your claim.
Here are some main points you can question:
- Is the article’s title clear and appropriate?
- Is the discussion relevant and valuable?
- Did the author make biased statements?
- How clear are the statements?
Start With a Summary Of the Article.
In your opening paragraph, you should briefly summarize the research article.

Here are the essential tips to use when summarizing a research article:
- Share critical points of the article to give a clear and concise picture of what the article is about.
- Give support to the main ideas that you have highlighted.
- Express the underlying meaning of the research article.
- Your summary should be shorter than the source.
Evaluate the Content Of the Article
In this body paragraph, you should critically analyze the content of the research article.
The following are methods used when evaluating a research article:
- What is the purpose of the article? Discuss the main message the author is trying to convey.
- Is the information logical? Bring in your expertise in criticism and give your ideas and thoughts.
- When was the article published?
- Was the research conducted effectively?
- Were the results valid?
You should also be able to assess the research article’s strengths and weaknesses. Highlight the following;
- What did you like about the article?
- What didn’t you like?
- How could the article be improved?
Write the Article Critique.
A research article critique is a detailed analysis and evaluation of a research article. It is important to critically read a research article to determine its validity and usefulness.
When critiquing a research article, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
You need to identify the central argument of the article. Next, you should assess the quality of the research design and data. Finally, consider the implications of the findings and whether or not the evidence supports them.
By carefully critiquing a research article, you ensure that you are reading and using only high-quality, reliable research.
Use Evidence From the Article.
Apply an evidence-based research approach to add valuable justification to your critique of the research article. Using evidence to make your argument will add to the body of knowledge in your field of study.
- Identify Contradictions
You will want to identify any contradictions found in the research article. Obtaining contradicting statements can be between the research article and other sources or within the research article itself. So carefully assess the contradictory claims found and include them in your critique.
Make Suggestions
You may want to make suggestions for future research based on your evaluation of the research article. These suggestions can be what you think could be improved in the study or areas that need further exploration.
Conclude Your Paper
In your conclusion, you will want to summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement. You may also like to discuss any research implications for future studies or real-world applications.
Revise
Finally, be sure to proofread your paper before submitting it. In revising, you ensure that your research article critique is well-received by your instructor or professor.
So there you have it! Now that you know the basics of writing a research article critique, you’re ready to start! By following these steps, you will be well on writing a successful research article critique! Thanks for reading.

What are the mistakes to avoid when writing a critique research article?
- Weak structure/format of the article.
- Unlisted and incomplete references.
- The research questions are not specific and too vague.
What are the five steps in writing a critique?
- Choose an article
- Read the material
Words to use when critiquing an article
- Evidence found from the research
- Statics has shown
- Given accurate information
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- Article Critique: How to Write One & Example

Article Critique: How to Write One & Example

Table of contents
An article critique requires much more than an article review . Your work won’t be complete without in-depth analysis of possible weaknesses and gaps. Besides, your writing should be structured and reinforced with supporting evidence. Learn how to critique an article and what structural elements should be included in your critical piece. From textual analysis to finding points to argue about and collecting evidence, this blog post covers everything you should know about a good critique. Let us examine these rules in detail.
What Is an Article Critique: Expanded Definition
Article critiques is a type of academic essay that offers an analysis of a specific article, following a formal style. In this type of writing, students should not only sum up the author’s ideas. One also has to evaluate the key points presented in a text and make a response based on solid research. A critique should be objective and based on facts and logic rather than emotions. Your written piece should have a clear organization. The entire text should be divided into separate paragraphs. In these sections, one would describe, analyze or argue the original work’s points.
How Is an Article Critique Different From a Summary
An article critique typically includes a brief summary of the text that is under review. However, it is much more than a simple summary. A critical piece, as its name suggests, should focus more on analysis than a bold overview. Students must go an extra mile and evaluate strong and weak sides of a text. You are expected to explain whether the author was right. Determine if their argumentation was used correctly. Specify the gaps if there are any. As a conclusion, you can point out whether this subject requires additional research.
How to Critique an Article: Prewriting Steps
So, how to critique an article? These are 3 prewriting steps you need to follow to make sure your review is good:
- Read an original piece carefully.
- Write an outline of your critique where you state your main point.
- Identify contradictions and other weak points in your primary source.
Let’s discuss each of these steps more in detail. In case you are looking for how to write a book review , go to our library and find such a blog there.
Step 1: Read an Article Before Writing a Critique
Before you critique an article, you should be very familiar with it. Your goal is to understand the aim of the writing piece you are analyzing. While reading an original piece, focus on such aspects:
- Problem and critical points covered in a text.
- Methods an author has used for conducting their research.
- Actual findings that have been received.
Unless you know it all very well, it would be difficult to identify the author's weak points or gaps. Much like it would be hard to come up with valid arguments and expose these flaws.
Here’s our bonus tip: familiarize yourself with an author’s background and context of writing. Knowing some little story behind any article ensures that one sees a whole picture more clearly.
Step 2: Write an Outline for an Article Critique
An article critique outline is a good start to put together a high-level plan for your essay. It should include your main points about the original article. You shouldn’t include many details in your outline. Nor should you use full sentences to describe your ideas. Just mark an author’s thesis and list possible flaws in their argumentation. You can also make a quick general assumption that would later help you write a conclusion.
There is no need to write a lengthy outline. Don’t waste too much time on it – setting the right direction for your writing would be enough.
Step 3: Find Contradictions for Article Critique
This is how to critique an article properly: you should find real flaws or gaps that contradict with the main subject. Here are several things you should pay special special attention to:
- uniqueness.
After that you can provide a list of any flaws and gaps that you have found. Formulate your own opinion about each of these contradictions, supported by solid arguments. Underline relevant examples that prove your point. Use plain but formal language and avoid any emotional or unprofessional remarks.
What Is Included in an Article Critique
When you critique an article, you should maintain a proper structure of your essay. Here’s a basic structure that will surely help you get started.
- Give background on author
- Identify the purpose of text
- State the author’s main ideas
- Craft a thesis statement
- Make a brief summary
- Offer your key arguments
- Provide supportive example (quotes)
- Comment on this point (praise or criticise)
- Sum up your key points
- Paraphrase your thesis
- Offer suggestions
In order to analyze any text, you should summarize it first. And before giving your opinions, you should highlight these points in your text. Below you can find the key critical review parts, explained in detail.
How to Write an Introduction for an Article Critique
This is how to write an introduction for an article critique:
- Start with giving full information about an original article. Mention its author and title followed by the journal where it was published, and publication date.
- Give an explanation of its topic. Get your readers familiar with some context.
- Briefly list the authors’ main points, mentioning the research methods and sources they have used.
- Highlight possible flaws, gaps or bias in their assumptions and conclusions. Mention that you will examine these flaws more in detail. This is an excellent hook that always works.
Creating Body for Your Article Critique
When writing the body paragraphs for article critique, you should follow the structure of an original article. Start each paragraph with a sentence related to your specific topic or subtopic. Then, go into the details and use your arguments to expose the weak points. Whenever you include any piece of evidence, make sure you properly cite your sources.
Your review must have at least 3 body paragraphs. But it can have more than that, especially if you are analyzing some longread.
Article Critique Conclusion: Summarize Your Points
Let us examine a good conclusion of an article critique. To ensure a positive impression on your audience , you should make it clear and informative. Connect all ideas mentioned in your introduction and main body.
In your conclusion you should summarize all your critical responses. Put all puzzles together and offer your final thoughts. After that, you can include suggestions for potential implications of your critique. Call for additional research or for changing prevalent opinions on the subject.
Article Critique Example
Now that you know the details of the writing process, it’s time to look at an example of an article critique . Click the link below to open our sample and see how a finished paper should look. Feel free to use this sample for your reference.
How to Critique Different Articles
Different texts require different approaches. We will show you how to critique an article in a journal compared to critiquing a research paper. Keep in mind that you should understand how to approach this task while reading the text itself. So focus on its main peculiarities from the beginning.
How to Critique a Journal Article
This is how to write a critique on a journal article:
- Include some basic information about the article so that it can be localized (name, title, date of publication and page numbers).
- Specify the statement of problem or issue discussed in it. Don’t miss any necessary detail.
- Summarize an author’s approach to the main subject.
- Do your own research and get valid arguments against the author's points which you aim to discuss.
How to Critique a Research Article
This is how to critique an article for research:
- If it is published in a specific source, provide all information about its publication.
- Focus on research methods. Tell how the data was collected.
- Try to follow all research steps and identify a gap or a logical flaw.
- Make sure you are familiar with some context of that problem before you define any weak points of the original article.
How to Critique an Article: Final Thoughts
So, today we have learned how to critique an article in a professional way. This brief guide contains the most important rules of a good critique, including critical approach, analysis and format of your work. Hopefully, you have learned useful details on preparing a decent textual analysis. Now that you know how to conduct it properly, you can complete your assignment successfully!
Identifying and evaluating all strengths and weaknesses may be a time-consuming task. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our website that writes essay for you . Our professional writers have much experience in writing article critiques and would gladly help to write one for you.
FAQ About Article Critiques
1. how to write an article critique in apa.
If you need to write an article critique in APA format , follow these main rules:
- Paper should be double-spaced, using 1-inch margins.
- Use Times New Roman font, 12 point font size.
- Include proper references and citations in strict accordance with the APA format requirements.
2. How do you critique an article result?
When you critique the article’s results, make sure you focus on:
- evidence in a literature review
- background information
- aims of the study.
In the end, you should show whether the result matches the aims. Mention whether that outcome is actually backed up by the literature that an author has used.
3. How do you critique an online article?
Steps for analyzing an online source will be similar to those of a printed article critique. Summarise and evaluate its purpose and conclusion, stating whether you agree or disagree with the author. Provide supporting evidence from the text. For an online article, make sure to include the link to it and refer to its certain paragraphs (instead of pages) in your citations.
4. What should be your aim in writing a critique?
The aim of writing an article critique is to evaluate a chosen work in order to increase the reader's understanding of it. As you highlight strong and weak points of the original work, you draw more attention to the subject and show whether any corrections or additional research are needed.

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How to Write an Article Critique

To understand how to critique an article, you need to know what an article critique assignment is. An article critique is an assignment in which you need to evaluate a journal article or other research article. Your task is to display whether or not the author presented solid arguments and facts to back up his/her statements.

Although this sort of paper is quite simple, lots of students still wonder how to write a critique of an article. When students face this sort of assignment, they assume that they should familiarize themselves with an article and discuss it from a critical perspective. That is surely true. However, a critique of an article has much more challenges than it seems.
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Now we will center on what, in particular, a top-notch critique article should convey : When tackling a critique article, most students give a summary of the research paper they read. That is not what a critique of an article is about. The aim of it is not, to sum up, the main ideas but to critique them. Journal articles already contain summaries. What your professor wants you to do is to express your own opinion on this paper and to discuss it.
However, you should write about your impressions of the article and present the evidence that supports them. Additionally, you need to define the main idea of the paper and elucidate its background and purpose. In general, you will concentrate on the issues that the article brings up and the ones that it eschews.
How to Write an Article Critique APA
Most professors will require you to stick to APA format, so you need to know how to write an article critique APA.

Step 1: Active Reading
You cannot possibly produce an article critique without reading and understanding the research article itself. As a rule, journal articles are quite extensive and contain terms you are not aware of. Thus, just reading the research will not suffice. You will need to practice both active and close reading and do some sort of research to identify and grasp the terms you are not familiar with. By doing that, you will not only get to know the facts and details in the article but also be able to grasp the author's main idea, as well as the arguments he/she provided to support that idea. Here a marker and a note-taking app will come in handy. However, you can also take notes in an old-fashioned manner using a notebook and writing as you read. Ensure that you define these main parts of scientific papers during your reading process :
- Research problem and research goal
- Research methods
- Participants in the research
- Main findings
- Conclusions
To accomplish this step, you may need to review the article a few times. It will enable you to come across new findings with each reading, and as a result, new ideas of how to present your critique article will spring to your mind. Jot down these ideas, too. As for the notes, they should not be too short. Mind that this is a complex type of academic paper, and you can easily forget some of your ideas when you get down to the writing process. Thus, it is better to spend more time and put more effort knowing that it will minimize obstacles during the writing process.
Step 2: Create a Preliminary Outline
Having a profound understanding of the article and many notes at your disposal, you can organize them into a preliminary outline. In this outline, you will plan how you will present the main points of the article.
Step 3: Question the Author’s Main Points
It is basically what your instructor will be looking for when he/she gets down to your paper: "Was the student able to tell a summary from an analysis?" Once again, an article critique is not about summarizing; it is all about looking at the paper critically. Your main task may not be to persuade the readers, but still, you need to provide a convincing discussion. To achieve that, you should discover whether or not the writer's overall idea makes sense. You can only do this by conducting additional research. In particular, you need to find similar works and draw a comparison between this article’s hypothesis and these works. You can also find out whether or not the writer's overall idea makes sense by comparing the introductory part and the conclusion.
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Additionally, you will need to question such aspects as:
- The research methods
- The results
- The discussion
- The stylistic elements
While critically analyzing the main elements and points of the article, keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to give a negative critique. It can be positive either. If you are in accord with what the author put forward, you may write a positive critique. If you cannot agree, you will need to provide your remarks. If you are in between, you will need to highlight both the strong and weak points of the article. Either way, you need to provide solid arguments to back up your opinion.
Step 4: Detect Contradictions
While reading, you may have noticed some contradictions in the paper. Researchers, whether consciously or unconsciously, can be biased. For this reason, they can omit contrary evidence or even misrepresent it to avail themselves of that. The bias itself can stem from prejudices. For example, a medical specialist can have prejudices towards Chinese medicine. Spot any biases and contradictions you come across. When the author refers to another author’s work, check that source. It presupposes some reading, of course, but it will be instrumental in detecting the negative aspects of the article, which you will be able to critique then. If the author cited unreliable evidence, you could mention it in your critique.
Writing Process
You must have made lots of notes by now. It is high time you organized them in an outline that will enable you to present your points logically. Having outlined, you can get down to the writing process.
State Your Main Argument in an Introductory Part
In your introduction, you need to mention the title of the article you are analyzing, the author’s name, the journal where it was published, and the publication date. After that, you need to give a thesis statement, which is the focus of your research article. As a rule, the majority of academic papers have a thesis statement in the introductory part. In the critique of an article, the introduction also contains your main argument. Briefly mention the main points of your critique to give the audience insight into what you will be discussing in your paper.
Body Paragraphs
Each of your body paragraphs should outline a new idea of the article. Since this type of paper is quite lengthy, you can allow yourself to use subheadings for these sections. If your article critique is short, you do not have to do that. Each paragraph of the body should begin with a topic sentence that you will expand upon further in the paragraph. Ensure that these parts of the paper are logically connected.
Sum Up Your Arguments
In conclusion, you need to sum up your critique and indicate its possible implications. Additionally, you can conduct further research, which will look at the issue from a new perspective and improve the work of the writer you analyzed.
Article Critique Revision
Many people skip this step, but you should not. The article critique is a serious project that should prove that you can think critically and provide solid arguments to back up your point. If you neglect revision, even the tiniest oversight may have a detrimental effect on the reader's impression. While revising, pay particular attention to the citations, which should be referenced accordingly. Do not forget to check the bibliography, too. If you are unsure about its format, stick to the rules of article critique APA formatting style.
Writing a critique article is not a piece of cake. However, you cannot overestimate the importance of this paper. By working on this project, you will learn how to use another writer's work without adopting their stance and how to question and analyze their arguments. What's more, it will improve your critical thinking, which is fundamental in your career development. Thus, take the trouble to produce a critique article of good quality. The results are worth the effort.
Critical Analysis
A critique article aims to evaluate somebody's work to facilitate the reader's understanding of it. This sort of paper can be labeled as subjective writing as it contains the writer's viewpoint or evaluation of the text. Producing an article critique presupposes two stages: critical reading and critical writing.
Critical reading
- Establish the author's thesis and purpose.
- Look at the structure of the passage by defining the main points.
- Make use of a dictionary or other sources if you do not understand the material.
- Outline the work or compile a description of it.
- Make a summary of the work.
Define the purpose:
- To inform using factual material
- To convince using reason or emotions
- To provide entertainment (to evoke people's emotions)
Evaluate in which way the author achieved his purpose If the purpose is to inform, has the material been put across in a clear, accurate, coherent way? If the purpose is to persuade, find evidence, logical reasoning, and opposing evidence. If the purpose was to provide entertainment, establish how emotions are evoked: does it provoke you to laugh, cry, or feel angry? Why were you touched by this? Look at these questions: In what way is the material presented? What is the target audience? What does the author conceive of the audience? What sort of language and imagery does the writer use?
Article Critique Writing Tips
- Do not present your points by saying "I think" or "To my mind." Keep the focus on the subject of your analysis, not on yourself. Stating your opinions weakens them.
- Always mention the work. Do not presume that since your audience know what you are discussing, you can omit the work's title.
- Other questions to consider: Are there any controversial discussions concerning either the passage or the subject?
- What is the subject matter is of current interest?
- What is the overall value of the passage?
- What are the weak and strong points of the work?
- Back up your thesis with sufficient evidence from the text that you analyzed. Remember to document quotes and paraphrases.
- Mind that the purpose of critical analysis is to provide information and assess the value, application, excellence, distinction, reliability, validity, or strong points of something.
- As a writer, you are the one who decides how your paper will appear, but at the same time, you should be open-minded, well-read, and impartial. You are eligible to state your opinions, but you should not forget to support them with evidence.
- Your review must contain information, interpretation, and evaluation. The information is accountable for the understanding of the work under analysis. The interpretation will provide a sense of the work. Thus, you should possess a clear understanding of it. The evaluation accounts for the discussion of your opinions of the work and provides conclusive justification for them.
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Limits to Supply Chain Resilience: A Monopoly Capital Critique

Thousands of shipping containers at the terminal at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey (2004). Image ID: line3174, America's Coastlines Collection. Source: Captain Albert E. Theberge, NOAA Corps (ret.). Wikemedia .
Benjamin Selwyn is a professor of international relations and international development at the University of Sussex. He is the author of The Struggle for Development (2017), The Global Development Crisis (2014), and Workers, State and Development in Brazil (2012).
The author would like to thank Dara Leyden and Christin Bernhold for comments on an earlier draft of this article.
As the COVID-19 pandemic expanded across the world in early 2020, it generated the “first global supply chain crisis.” 1 Global supply chains represent the integrative structure of contemporary global capitalism, and any disruption to them potentially threatens the functioning of the system itself.
In response to the crisis, the global supply chain community, encompassing academics and policymakers keen to promote their purported benefits, are proposing ways to increase supply chain “resilience.” The notion has been defined by the World Trade Organization and Asian Development Bank as “the ability of these chains to anticipate and prepare for severe disruptions in a way that maximizes capacity to absorb shocks, adapt to new realities, and re-establish optimized operations in the shortest possible time.” 2 Enhanced global supply chain resilience is to be pursued through a range of policies to be implemented by lead firm managers and supported by states.
While global supply chains are promoted as generating positive gains—for firms and workers, North and South—there is mounting evidence to suggest that they represent organizational forms of capitalism designed to raise the rate of surplus value extraction from labor by capital and facilitate its geographic transfer from the Global South to the Global North. As demonstrated in a previous Monthly Review article (“ World Development under Monopoly Capitalism ,” November 2021), global supply chains have contributed to dynamics of concentration in leading firms, and a marked shift in national income from labor to capital across much of the world. 3
Capitalism, as Karl Marx observed, is rooted in the exploitation of labor by capital through the latter’s ability to extract surplus value from the former. 4 It is characterized by dynamics of concentration and centralization of capital, where fewer and larger firms increasingly dominate each economic sector. These dynamics are intrinsically related to capitalism’s uneven geographical development and the reproduction of geopolitical tensions and rivalries. As Harry Magdoff once wrote:
Centrifugal and centripetal forces have always coexisted at the very core of the capitalist process.… Periods of peace and harmony have alternated with periods of discord and violence. Generally the mechanism of this alternation involves both economic and military forms of struggle, with the strongest power emerging victorious and enforcing acquiescence on the losers. But uneven development soon takes over, and a period of renewed struggle for hegemony emerges. 5
In fact, a recent World Bank publication explicates how the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating capitalism’s inner monopolistic tendencies:
COVID-19 could cause a further rise in corporations’ market power because large corporations are in the best position to withstand the economic downturn and deploy new technologies.… In the past three recessions, the share prices of US firms in the top quartile across 10 sectors rose by an average of 6 percent whereas the share prices of those in the bottom quartile fell by 44 percent. The same divergence has been evident since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. 6
This article argues that the resilience agenda represents an ideological justification and fortification of these very same tendencies—of labor exploitation, of concentration and centralization of capital, and of an increasingly geopolitical dimension to capitalist competition.
Following this introduction, the first section of this article outlines the emerging notion of resilience as formulated within the global supply chain community. The next section discusses how the first response by firms and states to the COVID-19 crisis was to make workers bear the brunt of the crisis. The concluding section identifies the geopolitical dynamics of resilience, focusing on the White House’s 2021 report, Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based Growth . 7
Resilience in Global Supply Chains
The supply chain community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been to call for enhanced supply chain resilience, entailing expanded leading-firm power over suppliers and greater control by capital over labor throughout and across supply chains. The resilience agenda is a response to the flaws of the just-in-time model of production, wherein increasing numbers of firms reduced their inventories, relying instead upon cheaper (and for some time) more efficient speedy delivery systems. However, this model magnifies so-called bullwhip and ripple effects: situations where small disturbances at one node in the supply chain generate increasingly large disruptions further up or down the chain. 8 As Peter Hasenkamp, former director of Tesla’s supply chain strategy, noted, “It takes 2,500 parts to build a car, but only one not to.” 9
In response to heightened risks, firms are advised to enhance supply chain resilience by introducing:
- New products, which enable easier replacement of standardized inputs, and the establishment of buffer stocks;
- New forms of chain governance, that involve risk analysis of both places and suppliers;
- Resilience monitoring, through assessing recovery time required by suppliers in response to shocks in the chain;
- Re-shoring or near-shoring production. 10
Supply chain mapping is posited as a key element of lead firms’ resilience strategy. In a Harvard Business Review article, Willy C. Shih highlights how it “entails going far beyond the first and second tiers and mapping your full supply chain, including distribution facilities and transportation hubs” to identifying suppliers’ capacity to withstand shocks. 11 The deployment of new technologies will be essential, as “firms are increasingly looking to robotics to augment locked-down employees, support health and safety measures, and tap into new opportunities or salvage their operations.” 12 New dynamics of outsourcing are posited as enabling cost efficiencies: “By geographically broadening their supplier bases, MNCs [multinational corporations] are more likely to cut production costs by offering more competitive [that is, lower] wages at the local level and more likely to better serve local customers by tailoring products to their demands.” 13
A McKinsey survey of supply chain executives across different industries in July 2020 found that 93 percent aimed to enhance their supply chain resilience, and that 90 percent aimed to increase the use of in-house digital technologies to do so. Of the executives, 70 percent and 55 percent thought that re-skilling current employees and recruiting new workers, respectively, would facilitate this endeavor. A mid-2021 follow-up survey found that almost 90 percent of the executives expected to pursue “some degree of regionalization” within the next three years. 14
The above-noted policies imply an escalation of capitalism’s core tendencies of concentration and centralization. This is because the costs of implementing elements of the resilience agenda, such as supply chain mapping, are often prohibitively expensive. As Shih notes, “Executives of a Japanese semiconductor manufacturer told us that it took a team of one hundred people more than a year to map the company’s supply networks deep into the sub-tiers following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.” 15 Only the biggest and best-resourced lead firms will have the resources to comprehensively implement such strategies.
Intrinsic to notions of supply chain mapping is enhanced surveillance by lead firms over supplier firms. Even mainstream supply chain commentators note how such dynamics may generate “a rather paradoxical co-evolution of surveillance and collaboration wherein companies will be more watchful of their suppliers’ actions and capabilities while collaborating with them to strengthen their capabilities.” 16 The concentration and ownership of information by lead firms about their suppliers is part and parcel of what Ugo Pagano calls intellectual monopoly capitalism , where information becomes an increasingly essential part of supply chain management and interfirm surplus value appropriation. 17 Practices imposed by lead firms upon their suppliers, such as requiring the latter to open their books, are being used to augment lead-firm power and to exert further control throughout the supply chain by, for example, determining from whom suppliers source inputs and at what prices. 18 In a recent case, H&M, Next, Lidl, and Zara’s owner, Inditex, have been accused by hundreds of Bangladeshi garment suppliers of paying them less than production costs during the COVID pandemic. 19
The reshoring narrative was deployed by former U.S. president Donald Trump in his “America First” agenda, claiming that by “bringing back” production to the United States from locations such as China and Mexico, his policies would restore industries and jobs from before the current neoliberal era. However, his agenda attracted few global firms (back) to the United States—unsurprisingly, given global wage differentials in which wages in China are still a fraction of U.S. wages. 20 For example, in 2017 Trump hailed Foxxcon’s plans to invest $10 billion in Wisconsin, generating 13,000 blue-collar jobs. By 2021, the Taiwanese electronics giant had reduced its investments to under $1 billion with fewer than 1,500 expected new (mostly white-collar) jobs blaming relatively high U.S. labor costs. 21 As the Financial Times noted, “coronavirus-induced ‘reshoring’ is not happening.” 22
It is not just the enhanced power of giant firms that is being promoted and facilitated by the resilience agenda, but also heightened labor exploitation. The mainstream resilience literature openly advocates certain forms of enhanced labor exploitation (described as “enhancing labor productivity”) as part of its strategy, while hiding other forms.
Supply Chain Resilience—through Class Struggle from Above
The first response by many firms and states to the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant lockdowns was to seek ways in which to increase labor exploitation in key supply chains. They did so through handing state (public) subsidies to big corporations while presiding over dangerous conditions, wage theft, and deployment of unfree labor and forced wage labor.
A study of garment workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar found sharp declines in working conditions and an 11 percent average decline in pay. Income loss occurred because of “less opportunity for overtime; not being paid the appropriate overtime rate; unfair deductions from wages; unpaid work; late wages; severance pay theft for workers who have been terminated; and unpaid wages for workers who have been temporarily suspended.” 23
In the early days of the pandemic in April 2020, the U.S. government pushed through legislation forcing workers to labor in unsafe working conditions. Then-President Trump deployed the Defense Protection Act to force meat processing companies to stay open amid fears of meat shortages. The act, supported by Tyson—the United States’ largest meat-processing company—reduced companies’ liability to their workers for remaining open and potentially exposing them to the COVID-19 virus. 24
Around the same time, Vietnamese electronics exports boomed as the country appeared to have successfully implemented a zero-COVID strategy. However, by May 2020, COVID-19 cases began to spike, and worryingly for the government and for exporters, cases were clustered in industrial districts. In response, the government told manufacturers to either shut down or find ways of maintaining operations by isolating workers from the wider population. In the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, located east of Hanoi, Samsung Vietnam formulated a “three-on-site” containment policy, where workers worked, ate, and slept in the same area. Lam Le reported what this arrangement meant for workers: “[Workers] were moved onto the factory’s premises. The lines between their workplace and home evaporated. For nearly three weeks, Nam slept with a blanket on a mattress in a warehouse alongside around 100 other male colleagues, moving between there, the company canteen and the production line in what felt like a twilight of unending work. His life revolved around screens.” 25
Some companies responded to the skyrocketing demand for personal protective equipment during the pandemic by forcing workers to labor. Malaysia and China were two important sources for this production, and both presided over increased incidences of forced labor, says the U.S. Bureau of International Labor Affairs (BILA). The majority of the almost two billion medical examination gloves used (mostly across core states) during the first six months of the pandemic were sourced from Malaysia. Forced labor is endemic throughout this sector, to the extent that the BILA includes Malaysian rubber gloves in its official list of goods produced by child or forced labor. According to the bureau:
Forced labor predominately occurs among migrant laborers from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Nepal working in more than 100 rubber glove factories throughout Malaysia. Reports indicate that there are an estimated 42,500 migrant workers employed in the Malaysian rubber glove industry. Workers are frequently subject to high recruitment fees to secure employment that often keeps them in debt bondage; forced to work overtime in excess of the time allowed by Malaysian law; and work in factories where temperatures can reach dangerous levels. Additionally, laborers work under the threat of penalties, which include the withholding of wages, restricted movement, and the withholding of their identification documents. 26
But it is not only through wage repression, wage theft, and forced labor that firms along the supply chain enhance their resilience. Part and parcel of the resilience agenda is the promotion of new, often digital, technologies to raise labor exploitation and firm profitability. In fact, giant lead firms are investing heavily in digitalization, robotization, and automation to achieve these objectives. In the global warehouse subsector, for example, the automation market is projected to increase from $15 billion in 2019 to $30 billion by 2026. 27 Amazon is at the forefront of these innovations, which seek evermore to subordinate workers to machines. As Sarah O’Connor reports in the Financial Times :
Chuck is an autonomous robot trolley which leads a human picker through a warehouse from one shelf to the next. 6 River Systems, which sells or rents the robots to warehouse operators such as DHL, XPO Logistics and Office Depot, says the technology relieves strain on workers because they no longer have to push a trolley around. But Chuck also sets a relentless pace.… A 6 River Systems “business case” report says workers who set their own pace “travel only half as fast as when they follow Chuck [and] their speed without Chuck also fluctuates wildly.” 28
The human developmental consequences of ever-greater subordination of workers to machines are predictably dire. In a survey of 145 workers at an automated Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, 66 percent experienced physical pain while working (in their shoulders, hands, back, ankles, and knees) and 42 percent continued to experience pain outside work. 29 As O’Connor notes, “humans are being crunched into a robot system working at a robot pace.” 30
Remote work boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic as increased numbers of “white collar” workers began working from home. These workers are subject to so-called algorithmic management—“continuous tracking of workers’ performance, automated decision-making about tasks and evaluations of client feedback”—while undertaking a range of unpaid tasks that are essential to their jobs. 31 Antonio Aloisie and Valerio de Stefano list the proliferation of surveillance technology at the disposal of employers:
Activtrack monitors the programs used and tells managers if the employee is distracted and wasting time on social media. HubStaff takes snapshots of employees’ computers every five minutes. Time Doctor and Teramind keep track of every action conducted online. Interguard compiles a minute-by-minute timeline that considers every piece of data, such as web history and bandwidth utilization, and sends a notification to managers if workers’ activities appear suspicious and when they exhibit a combination of flagged behaviours. OccupEye records when and for how long someone is away from their workstation. Sneek continuously takes photos of colleagues to generate a timecard and circulates them to keep the team’s mood up. Afiniti pairs customers with agents according to demographic data. Pesto synchronizes professional calendars and music playlists to create a sense of community; it also has a facial recognition feature that can display a worker’s real-world emotion on their virtual avatar’s face. 32
Working from home has also been accompanied by a significant increase in the length of the work day. The Harvard Business Review noted that, in the United States, “the length of the average workday increased by 48.5 minutes during lockdown in the early weeks of the pandemic.… We estimate that the best organizations have seen productive time increase by 5 percent or more.” 33
Resilience as Geopolitics
The supply chain resilience agenda has been adopted by the U.S. state in its attempts to constrain China’s rise through economic, political, and geopolitical means. The United States benefits from access to China’s labor force—the world’s largest—with wages and social reproduction costs held down by the Hukou (household registration) system. 34 The system divides China’s working class according to the location of a worker’s birth and denies workers of rural origin the relative social benefits and protections enjoyed by urbanites. It also includes the ability of local states to compel rural workers to return to their places of origin. In this way, the system reproduces a vulnerable laboring class, ripe for exploitation by firms such as Foxconn.
However, China’s state-managed integration into the world economy, first as an export assembly platform but increasingly as a producer of high-tech products, has accelerated the formation of its capitalist class and strengthened the Chinese state, together gaining the ability to challenge U.S. economic hegemony. 35
This began to worry U.S. policymakers who, at least since President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia, have responded by formulating political, economic, and military strategies to constrain China’s rise. 36 This containment strategy represents an attempt to maintain China in a semi-peripheral position by forestalling its attempts at becoming part of the core of the world economy. As Minqi Li puts it, “although China has developed an exploitative relationship with South Asia, Africa, and other raw material exporters, on the whole, [it] continues to transfer a greater amount of surplus value to the core countries in the capitalist world system than it receives from the periphery.” 37
Maintaining this pattern of surplus value transfer (so that China’s working class effectively services core economy firms) and limiting China’s regional influence is part and parcel of U.S. containment strategy. During his election campaign, President Joe Biden was explicit in identifying China’s perceived threats to U.S. business, arguing that:
The United States does need to get tough with China. If China has its way, it will keep robbing the United States and American companies of their technology and intellectual property. It will also keep using subsidies to give its state-owned enterprises an unfair advantage—and a leg up on dominating the technologies and industries of the future. The most effective way to meet that challenge is to build a united front of US allies and partners to confront China’s abusive behaviors. 38
The supply chain resilience concept has been invoked significantly by the U.S. state as part of its efforts to contain China. Part of the resilience agenda is to highlight the importance of supply chain diversification, especially away from excessive reliance upon Chinese production, often referred to as the “plus one” strategy. 39 Whether or not academics advocating these types of strategies are purposefully buying into a Sinophobic agenda is an open question. But the U.S. state is deploying the resilience agenda for explicitly geopolitical objectives. In a speech addressing the U.S. response to the global supply chain crisis, with implicit continuities to former president Trump’s “Make America Great Again” economic agenda, President Biden argued that:
The United States needs resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains to ensure our economic prosperity and national security.… Resilient American supply chains will revitalize and rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity, maintain America’s competitive edge in research and development, and create well-paying jobs. They will also support small businesses, promote prosperity, advance the fight against climate change, and encourage economic growth in communities of color and economically distressed areas. 40
Four months later, the White House published its report entitled Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based Growth . 41 The report expressed concern that the U.S. economy was potentially vulnerable to supply chain shocks in four key industries—rare-earth minerals for telecommunications and other core electronics sectors, semiconductors, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and advanced batteries for large-scale utilities and electric vehicles—and proposed a range of measures to enhance supply chain resilience.
The geopolitical element of the resilience agenda is often couched in Sinophobic or general-interest terms, or both. For example, Rajat Panwar, Jonatan Pinkse, and Valentina de Marchi argue how the White House report mentioned above raises concerns about “aggressive industrial development policies of other countries, especially China.” 42 A recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report highlights China’s increasing dominance of many core materials and intermediate inputs. Consequentially, “supply chains characterised by low diversity of suppliers or buyers can indeed increase the probability of disruption and can magnify the propagation of shocks.” 43
The White House report is much more explicit about U.S. geopolitical concerns and objectives. China is mentioned 458 times, signifying an increasingly visible geopolitical dynamic in the world of global supply chains. For example, “China was estimated to control 55 percent of global rare earths mining capacity in 2020 and 85 percent of rare earths refining. The United States must secure reliable and sustainable supplies of critical minerals and metals to ensure resilience across U.S. manufacturing and defense needs.” 44
Using the time-honored ideology of upholding free trade principles, the report also notes how “China stands out for its aggressive use of measures—many of which are well outside globally accepted fair trading practices—to stimulate domestic production and capture global market share in critical supply chains.” 45 Indeed, the U.S. state openly interprets supply chain resilience in geopolitical terms: “the United States has a strong national interest in U.S. allies and partners improving the resilience of their critical supply chains in face of challenges—such as the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather events due to climate change, and geopolitical competition with China—that affect both the United States and our allies.” 46
Politically and economically, Biden’s response to the global supply chain crisis is meant to signal Washington’s willingness and ability to undertake gigantic investments in research and development, infrastructure (sea ports, airports, highways, and logistics infrastructure, including warehouses and transport terminals), and directly in manufacturing. Federal investments of taxpayer dollars will be dedicated to revamping the foundations of global supply chains dominated by U.S.-based private capital, representing another huge public subsidy to the private sector. Recent gestures by the U.S. government, from Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan to Biden’s recent restatement of the intent to use U.S. military force to defend the island from potential aggression from Beijing, represent a broader program of containing China’s rise. 47
Conclusions
The global supply chain resilience agenda is being promoted by corporations, academics, policymakers, and politicians upon the assumption that global supply chains are the most beneficial form of contemporary capitalist organization. This article argues, by contrast, that global supply chains represent the latest phase of organized capitalist expansion and exploitation, and the resilience agenda aims to fortify these relations.
For advocates of the resilience agenda, enhanced lead firm surveillance (control) over suppliers signals a potential way of reviving global supply chains, as does the deployment of digital technologies to increase workers’ productive efficiency. From the monopoly capital perspective, by contrast, these proposals represent strategies to accelerate dynamics of concentration and centralization of capital within and through the expansion of lead firm power and the attempt to raise the rate of labor exploitation. While advocates of supply chain resilience refer to the dangers of over-reliance upon China for key inputs, the United States is actively deploying the concept to advance its geopolitical containment agenda. At times, academic analysis and U.S. state objectives seem to overlap in ways that suggest the former are not as impartial as they would like to appear.
While the resilience agenda seeks to revive global supply chains, it is in fact contributing to policies that are hastening the concentration and centralization of capital and increasing geopolitical dimensions of capitalist competition. Far from contributing to a more stable global political economy for the economic benefit of all, the supply chain resilience agenda represents an attempt to reassert the power of monopoly capital in core economies over subordinate capitals, peripheral and semi-peripheral states, and above all, over labor.
- ↩ Stefano Feltri, “ Why Coronavirus Triggered the First Global Supply-Chain Crisis ,” Promarket (blog), March 5, 2020.
- ↩ Yuqing Xing, Elisabetta Gentile, and David Dollar, Global Value Chain Development Report 2021 (World Trade Organization, November 2021), 154.
- ↩ Benjamin Selwyn and Dara Leyden, “ World Development under Monopoly Capitalism ,” Monthly Review 73, no. 6 (November 2021): 15–28. See also Intan Suwandi, Value Chains: The New Economic Imperialism (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2019); John Smith, “ The GDP Illusion ,” Monthly Review 64, no. 3 (July–August 2012): 86–102; John Bellamy Foster, Robert W. McChesney, and R. Jamil Jonna, “ The Internationalization of Monopoly Capital ,” Monthly Review 63, no. 2 (June 2011): 1; John Bellamy Foster, and Intan Suwandi, “ COVID-19 and Catastrophe Capitalism ,” Monthly Review 72, no. 2 (June 2020): 1–20.
- ↩ Karl Marx, Capital , vol. 1 (London: Penguin, 1990).
- ↩ Harry Magdoff, Globalization: To What End? (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1992), 4–5.
- ↩ Christine Zhenwei Qiang, Yan Liu, and Victor Steenbergen, Global Value Chains in the Time of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (World Bank, 2021), 202.
- ↩ Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based Growth (Washington, DC: White House, 2021).
- ↩ Benjamin Selwyn, “Bringing Social Relations Back In: (Re) Conceptualising the ‘Bullwhip Effect’ in Global Commodity Chains,” International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy 3, no. 2 (2008): 156–75.
- ↩ Cited in Patrick McGee and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, “Companies’ Supply Chains Vulnerable to Coronavirus Shocks,” Financial Times , March 9, 2020.
- ↩ Sébastien Miroudot, “Resilience versus Robustness in Global Value Chains,” Centre for Economic Policy Research, June 18, 2020; Richard Baldwin and Simon Evenett, eds., COVID-19 and Trade Policy (London: UK International Chamber of Commerce, 2022); McKinsey Global Institute, Risk, Resilience, and Rebalancing in Global Value Chains (2020).
- ↩ Willy Shih, “Global Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World,” Harvard Business Review , September–October 2020.
- ↩ Qiang et al., Global Value Chains in the Time of COVID-19 , 201.
- ↩ Qiang et al., Global Value Chains in the Time of COVID-19 , 204.
- ↩ Knut Alicke, Ed Barriball, and Vera Trautwein, “How COVID-19 Is Reshaping Supply Chains,” McKinsey & Company, November 23, 2021.
- ↩ Shih, “Global Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World.”
- ↩ Rajat Panwar, Jonatan Pinkse, and Valentina De Marchi, “The Future of Global Supply Chains in a Post-COVID-19 World,” California Management Review 64, no. 2 (2022).
- ↩ Ugo Pagano, “The Crisis of Intellectual Monopoly Capitalism,” Cambridge Journal of Economics 38, no. 6 (2014): 1409–29; Cecilia Rikap, Capitalism, Power and Innovation (London: Routledge, 2021).
- ↩ Doug Miller, “Towards Sustainable Labour Costing in UK Fashion Retail,” SSRN (2013).
- ↩ Sarah Butler, “ Lidl, Zara’s owner, H&M and Next ‘Paid Bangladesh Suppliers Less than Production Cost ,’” Guardian , January 11, 2023.
- ↩ Suwandi, Value Chains .
- ↩ David Shepardson and Karen Pierog, “Foxconn Mostly Abandons $10 Billion Wisconsin Project Touted by Trump,” Reuters, April 20, 2021.
- ↩ Alan Beattie “Coronavirus-Induced ‘Reshoring’ Is Not Happening,” Financial Times , September 30, 2020.
- ↩ Genevieve LeBaron, Penelope Kyritsis, Perla Polanco Leal, and Michael Marshall, The Unequal Impacts of Covid-19 on Global Garment Supply Chains (Sheffield: University of Sheffield, 2021).
- ↩ Demetre Sevastopulo, Aime Williams, and Gregory Meyer, “Donald Trump Orders Meat-Processing Plants to Stay Open,” Financial Times , April 29, 2020.
- ↩ Lam Le, “ Workers in Vietnam Lived inside Factories to Keep Samsung’s Products on Shelves During the Pandemic ,” Rest of World (blog), November 22, 2021 .
- ↩ S. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (Washington, DC: Department of Labor, 2022)
- ↩ Sarah O’Connor, “Why I Was Wrong to Be Optimistic about Robots,” Financial Times , February 9, 2021.
- ↩ O’Connor, “Why I Was Wrong to Be Optimistic about Robots.”
- ↩ New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, Time Off Task: Pressure, Pain, and Productivity at Amazon (2019).
- ↩ John Michael Roberts, Digital, Class, Work (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022), 176.
- ↩ Antonio Aloisi and Valerio De Stefano, “Essential Jobs, Remote Work and Digital Surveillance,” International Labour Review 161, no. 2 (2022): 298.
- ↩ Eric Garton and Michael Mankins, “The Pandemic Is Widening a Corporate Productivity Gap,” Harvard Business Review , December 1, 2020.
- ↩ John Bellamy Foster, “ The New Cold War on China ,” Monthly Review 73, no. 3 (July–August 2021): 1–20; Tiejun Cheng and Mark Selden, “The Origins and Social Consequences of China’s Hukou System,” China Quarterly , no. 139 (1994): 644–68.
- ↩ Steven Rolf, China’s Uneven and Combined Development (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
- ↩ Foster, “The New Cold War on China.”
- ↩ Minqi Li, “ China: Imperialism or Semi-Periphery? ,” Monthly Review 73, no. 3 (July–August 2021): 47.
- ↩ Joseph R. Biden, “Why America Must Lead Again,” Foreign Affairs 99, no. 2 (2020).
- ↩ Peter Enderwick, “A ‘China-Plus-One’ Strategy,” Human Systems Management 30, no. 1 (2011): 85–96.
- ↩ White House, “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains,” February 24, 2021.
- ↩ White House, “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains.”
- ↩ Panwar, Pinkse, and De Marchi, “The Future of Global Supply Chains in a Post-COVID-19 World,” 10.
- ↩ Christine Arriola et al., “Efficiency and Risks in Global Value Chains in the Context of COVID-19,” OECD Economic Department Working Paper 1637 (2020).
- ↩ White House, Building Resilient Supply Chains , 6, 9.
- ↩ White House, Building Resilient Supply Chains , 11.
- ↩ White House, Building Resilient Supply Chains , 12.
- ↩ Vincent Ni, “Joe Biden Again Says US Forces Would Defend Taiwan from Chinese Attack,” Guardian , September 19, 2022.
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Dystopian games: how contemporary stories critique capitalism through deadly competition

Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University College Cork
Disclosure statement
Tom Boland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University College Cork provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.
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If our nightmares change, what does that tell us about our waking lives? Dystopian stories , from novels and films to games, have often been considered a pessimistic reflection on the direction society is going in.
Classic dystopias usually offer a vision of a totalitarian state, equipped with an apparatus of repression and propaganda, for instance, 1984 by George Orwell or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Beyond the external threat of authoritarian and violent control, these fictions also offer dystopian visions of how individuals can be corrupted, indoctrinated and transformed.
These stories were responding to 20th-century experiences of state authoritarianism, from fascism to Stalinism and beyond. It is understandable given this history that dystopias have largely expressed our anxieties and fears about the state.
Yet, around the turn of the millennium writers of dystopias increasingly turned their attention to critiquing capitalism. These stories presented fictional worlds where protagonists compete in deadly games .
The game of life?
This sub-genre of dystopia features elimination contests where there can be only one winner. The scenarios might seem extreme or absurd but are apt satires of living within a capitalist system.
The games in these dystopian worlds tend to be excruciatingly cruel, with human life often wagered on their outcome.
Watching protagonists grapple with strategic challenges, endure pain and frustration, work together or undermine each other and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat reminds us of our own struggles . It reminds us how our fate often depends on our performance in life.
Even if we are not in mortal danger, our lives depend upon competition.
In educational institutions, we strive for top marks. In the labour market, we compete for jobs. On social media, we vie for attention and approval. Even in love and friendship, it seems the contemporary world is awash with rivalry.
Of course, this is not human nature or common to all societies, but is a result of a hyper-competitive mindset or culture cultivated under contemporary capitalism. Essentially, these visions of dystopian games offer a critique of the intensification of capitalism, wherein every decision is made with the market in mind first.
Dystopias exaggerate what they satirise to make their point – consider two of the most popular and influential cases: The Hunger Games and Squid Game .
Set in a futuristic authoritarian regime, the Hunger Games are a sadistic propaganda operation whereby the “Capitol” pits teenage “tributes” from subjugated districts against each other in a televised bloodbath. The prize is a life of comparative luxury, although winners are often traumatised by their own victory.
While outlandish, it resonates with young people, perhaps reflecting their experiences on social media or even the growing trend for reality TV as a means of social mobility . It also reflects the wider capitalist system where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor; social mobility is only possible for the chosen few, the exceptional.
Squid Game depicts a fight to the death orchestrated by a shadowy criminal organisation with billionaire backers where contestants compete in deadly versions of children’s games. Four hundred and fifty-six desperate or indebted people in contemporary South Korea are enticed into participating, and only one will survive. This surreal scenario reflects the crisis of personal debt in South Korea and beyond, and the ethics of winner-takes-all in contemporary capitalism.
In each, we follow protagonists who are often faced with terrible moral conundrums as they fight to survive. We sympathise with the Hunger Game’s Katniss Everdeen’s struggle and cheer her on as she forms alliances with weaker players. We root for Squid Game’s Seong Gi-Hun’s team in a lethal version of tug-of-war but become ambivalent when he uses an older contestant’s failing memory against him.
Bloody spectacles
Strikingly, both of these contests are a spectacle for an audience.
The Hunger Games are televised propaganda for a totalitarian regime, while sadistic billionaires watch the Squid Game from a booth. This plays upon the perpetual visibility of modern life on social media. But also makes us complicit as viewers who enjoy watching bloody contests.
Within the drama, the play of artifice and authenticity is another game.
We see Katniss stage a love story to ensure her survival. Seong Gi-Hun eventually realises that his apparent ally in the Squid Game, the older man he used, is actually (spoiler alert) one of the organisers of this tormenting tournament. This game-playing, full of falsehoods and suspicion, within these spectacles, might well reflect our own struggles with constant impression management amid the compulsive visibility of social media.
While these dystopian visions are extremely dark, they are warnings of the direction that society is going or analyses of dynamics that are coming to dominate our world but are not inevitable. Interestingly that Squid Game’s popularity has led to it being adapted into game show where “456 players will compete to win the life-changing reward of $4.56 million (£3.78 million)”.
These dystopian stories do offer hope, however. The capacity of the protagonists to play these games through cooperation rather than competition, care rather than cruelty, provides a utopian counterpoint – one that we might follow in our own lives. Refusing to play the game or playing it differently is not a trivial gesture, our lives and our future depend on it.
- George Orwell
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How to Write an Article Review: Tips and Examples

An article review format allows scholars or students to analyze and evaluate the work of other experts in a given field. Outside of the education system, experts often review the work of their peers for clarity, originality, and contribution to the discipline of study.
When answering the questions of what is an article review and how to write one, you must understand the depth of analysis and evaluation that your instructor is seeking.
What Is an Article Review
That is a type of professional paper writing which 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 use 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
There are few types of article reviews.
Journal Article Review
Much like all other reviews, a journal article review evaluates strengths and weaknesses of a publication. A qualified paper writer must provide the reader with an analysis and interpretation that demonstrates the article’s value.
Research Article Review
It differs from a journal article review by the way that it evaluates the research method used and holds that information in retrospect to analysis and critique.
Science Article Review
Scientific article review involves anything in the realm of science. Often, scientific publications include more information on the background that you can use to analyze the publication more comprehensively.
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Just send us the requirements to your paper and watch one of our writers crafting an original paper for you.
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 you should 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.
The Pre-Writing Process
Facing this task for the first time can really get confusing and can leave you being unsure where to begin. To create a top-notch article review, start with a few preparatory steps. Here are the two main stages 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.
Organization in an assignment like this is of utmost importance. Before embarking on your writing process, you could outline your assignment or use an article review template to organize your thoughts more coherently.
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 prewriting and the brainstorming process for this assignment, seek out a sample outline.
Your custom essay must contain these constituent parts:
- Pre-title page : here, you will want to list the type of the article that you are reviewing, the title of the publication, all the authors who contributed to it, author’s affiliations (position, department, institute, city, state, country, email ID)
- Optional corresponding author details : name, address, phone number, email, and fax number.
- Running head : Only in the APA format. It is the title of your paper shortened to less than 40 characters.
- Summary page : Optional, depending on the demands of your instructor. The summary should be maximum 800 words long. Use non-technical and straightforward language. Do not repeat text verbatim or give references in this section. Give 1) relevant background 2) explain why the work was done 3) summarize results and explain the method.
- Title page : full title, 250-word abstract followed by “Keywords:” and 4-6 keywords.
- Introduction
- Body : Include headings and subheadings
- Works Cited/References
- Optional Suggested Reading Page
- Tables and Figure Legends (if instructed by the professor.)
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Steps for Writing an Article Review
Here is a guide with critique paper format from our research paper writing service 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
Example: 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.
Example: 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 through 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 with reading it fully and by checking the following points:
- Punctuation
- Other mistakes
Next, identify whether or not there is any unnecessary data in the paper and remove it. Lastly, check the points you discussed in your work; make sure you discuss at least 3-4 key points. In case you need to proofread, rewrite an essay or buy essay , our dissertation services are always here for you.
Example of an Article Review
Why have we devoted an entire section of this article to talk about an article review sample, you may wonder? Not all of you may recognize it, but in fact, looking through several solid examples of review articles is actually an essential step for your writing process, and we will tell you 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.
As you can see, reading through a few samples can be extremely beneficial for you. Therefore, the best way to learn how to write this kind of paper is to look for an article review example online that matches your grade level.
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Writing Critiques
Writing a critique involves more than pointing out mistakes. It involves conducting a systematic analysis of a scholarly article or book and then writing a fair and reasonable description of its strengths and weaknesses. Several scholarly journals have published guides for critiquing other people’s work in their academic area. Search for a “manuscript reviewer guide” in your own discipline to guide your analysis of the content. Use this handout as an orientation to the audience and purpose of different types of critiques and to the linguistic strategies appropriate to all of them.
Types of critique
Article or book review assignment in an academic class.
Text: Article or book that has already been published Audience: Professors Purpose:
- to demonstrate your skills for close reading and analysis
- to show that you understand key concepts in your field
- to learn how to review a manuscript for your future professional work
Published book review
Text: Book that has already been published Audience: Disciplinary colleagues Purpose:
- to describe the book’s contents
- to summarize the book’s strengths and weaknesses
- to provide a reliable recommendation to read (or not read) the book
Manuscript review
Text: Manuscript that has been submitted but has not been published yet Audience: Journal editor and manuscript authors Purpose:
- to provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscript
- to recommend to the editor that the article be published, revised, or rejected
- to provide the authors with constructive feedback and reasonable suggestions for revision
Language strategies for critiquing
For each type of critique, it’s important to state your praise, criticism, and suggestions politely, but with the appropriate level of strength. The following language structures should help you achieve this challenging task.
Offering Praise and Criticism
A strategy called “hedging” will help you express praise or criticism with varying levels of strength. It will also help you express varying levels of certainty in your own assertions. Grammatical structures used for hedging include:
Modal verbs Using modal verbs (could, can, may, might, etc.) allows you to soften an absolute statement. Compare:
This text is inappropriate for graduate students who are new to the field. This text may be inappropriate for graduate students who are new to the field.
Qualifying adjectives and adverbs Using qualifying adjectives and adverbs (possible, likely, possibly, somewhat, etc.) allows you to introduce a level of probability into your comments. Compare:
Readers will find the theoretical model difficult to understand. Some readers will find the theoretical model difficult to understand. Some readers will probably find the theoretical model somewhat difficult to understand completely.
Note: You can see from the last example that too many qualifiers makes the idea sound undesirably weak.
Tentative verbs Using tentative verbs (seems, indicates, suggests, etc.) also allows you to soften an absolute statement. Compare:
This omission shows that the authors are not aware of the current literature. This omission indicates that the authors are not aware of the current literature. This omission seems to suggest that the authors are not aware of the current literature.
Offering suggestions
Whether you are critiquing a published or unpublished text, you are expected to point out problems and suggest solutions. If you are critiquing an unpublished manuscript, the author can use your suggestions to revise. Your suggestions have the potential to become real actions. If you are critiquing a published text, the author cannot revise, so your suggestions are purely hypothetical. These two situations require slightly different grammar.
Unpublished manuscripts: “would be X if they did Y” Reviewers commonly point out weakness by pointing toward improvement. For instance, if the problem is “unclear methodology,” reviewers may write that “the methodology would be more clear if …” plus a suggestion. If the author can use the suggestions to revise, the grammar is “X would be better if the authors did Y” (would be + simple past suggestion).
The tables would be clearer if the authors highlighted the key results. The discussion would be more persuasive if the authors accounted for the discrepancies in the data.
Published manuscripts: “would have been X if they had done Y” If the authors cannot revise based on your suggestions, use the past unreal conditional form “X would have been better if the authors had done Y” (would have been + past perfect suggestion).
The tables would have been clearer if the authors had highlighted key results. The discussion would have been more persuasive if the authors had accounted for discrepancies in the data.
Note: For more information on conditional structures, see our Conditionals handout .

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Opinion Readers critique The Post: Carter made a key environmental contribution
Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers’ grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and, occasionally, offer praise. Here, we present this week’s Free for All letters.
The Feb. 23 news article “ Jimmy Carter, environmental patron ” had no mention of the former president’s most important achievement: his support of the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
Surface mining was the most contentious environmental issue of the decade. The coal lobby fought congressional bills tooth and tong, claiming their solutions would be too costly and cripple coal production, which would irreparably damage electricity generation. Because of those concerns, both Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford vetoed bills passed by wide margins in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The vetoes were sustained.
Campaigning in Appalachia in 1976, Carter pledged that he would sign the strip-mining bill, as well as mine safety legislation pending in Congress. He did both in August 1977. The concerns of the coal industry proved to be unfounded, and since 1977 hundreds of thousands of acres of coal-mined land throughout the country have been restored to productive post-mining use, from agricultural to wildlife purposes. This law proved to be a true success story.
Edward Green , Rockville
More clarity in coverage of police misconduct
The title of the Feb. 18 Metro article “ Mistrial in former Pentagon officer’s murder case ” was misleading, because at the time of the shooting he was employed as an officer. Another Feb. 18 news article was titled “ 5 ex-Memphis police officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols ,” and a Feb. 14 front-page article had the headline “ Scrutiny for FBI over ex-agent’s side work .” In the former case, all of the alleged misconduct took place while the officers were employed, and in the latter much of it did, too.
The Post seems to have adopted the convention of referring to law enforcement personnel who left employment after alleged incidents of misconduct as “ex” or “former.” These titles are often misleading and always confusing to the reader. With alleged police misconduct very much in the public eye, the distinction between whether misconduct was committed by a current or a former officer is meaningful.
Jim Gillespie , Fairfax
A good article on police reports that could have been great
As a former attorney with the Justice Department’s civil rights division criminal section, I found that the Feb. 22 front-page article “ In police reports, early claims often misleading ,” on how initial police reports are not fully accurate, in part because of passive language, hit home and raised important issues.
Yes, initial reports are often written to avoid casting blame on the very police officers writing the reports (who could be surprised by that?). And, yes, active voice will be clearer, particularly as to the identity of the actors. But come on. Don’t cavil that the report relating to Breonna Taylor’s death listed her injuries as “none,” when that mistake was obviously akin to a typo. With the unfortunate victim pronounced dead on the scene, there couldn’t have been a motive to deceive. Dredging up silly examples demeaned the overall credibility of the article.
Bruce J. Berger , Silver Spring
Why Vermeer likely didn’t use an optical projection drive
There’s a simple argument that counters the idea that Johannes Vermeer used an optical projection device, as cited in the Feb. 19 Style article “ There will never be another Vermeer show to match this one .” It is that the light source, the sun, constantly changes. That would cause critical illuminated and shadow masses in Vermeer’s scenes to change as well, posing substantial difficulties for a painter of his exacting technique. More interesting and pertinent to Dutch interior paintings of his era is the manipulation of the windows shutters to compose the portrayal of normally diffused interior light.
As for optical devices, there were two types available to Vermeer. One was the camera obscura, similar to a box camera but much larger. The other was the camera lucida, a more compact mirror and lens arrangement. Either one would reverse the scene: right becomes left, top becomes bottom. And both would have posed the problem of the room’s ambient light muddying the projected image, especially exacting lines. But what about the figures in his paintings? Could they have stood perfectly still while he laboriously traced their images?
All that aside, why would an artist of Vermeer’s stature need any optical device other than his own eyes?
Paul Spreiregen, Washington
So long, Sky Watch; you will be missed
Regarding Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.’s Feb. 26 Sky Watch column, “ Jupiter and Venus dance, and spring arrives with a farewell ”:
“Over the next few nights, notice how those planets seem to get closer, like long-lost lovers racing toward each other in an airport terminal, just in slow motion.” This quote, from the final edition of the Sky Watch column, is but one of many examples over the years, going back to 1986, of Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.’s poetic depictions of celestial events.
The universe is a mostly dark, empty place, so I and others will miss Friedlander’s warm, colorful prose that brought distant objects closer to us, and we will also miss his listings of astronomy-related meetings.
Friedlander, the local astronomical community salutes you for your long service and repeated reminders to enjoy the heavens.
Bill Burton , Reston
All of the Opinion writers need bios in the print section
I wish The Post would return to the days when it properly identified Opinion page writers.
On the Feb. 13 op-ed page, for example, there were no biographies for any of the writers. I recognize the name of E.J. Dionne Jr. [“ Democrats look to the new (old) class politics ”], who is a well-known op-ed writer, but who are Heather Long [“ The economy is almost too good to be true ”], Lizette Alvarez [“ The elderly are scam targets. My family learned too late. ”] and Keith B. Richburg [“ What Hong Kong can’t disguise ”]? A line or two telling me who the person is and, therefore, why I should read the column would be helpful: “Mr. X is a lobbyist for the oil industry” or “Ms. Z is an inmate in San Quentin.”
I was taught to know who is writing a piece before reading. Why else would I pay attention to what writers are advising me on?
R.V. Arnaudo , Falls Church
Generalizing requires broader evidence
Hugh Hewitt’s Feb. 14 Tuesday Opinion column, “ Is the FBI targeting traditional Catholics? ,” was based on his sole experience and that of people he knows. He found “laughable” the FBI memo warning “of extremists being drawn into ‘radical-traditionalist’ Roman Catholic organizations known primarily for their love of the Latin Mass and the relatively few churches where it is celebrated.”
Along the same lines, I was an altar boy for five years and was never molested, so pedophilia did not exist in the Catholic Church. I was also a Boy Scout for five years and had a great experience. Hence, no pedophilia there as well. My daughters, 21 and 19, have never been raped, so young women their age do not experience sexual assault.
Hewitt provided readers basically no insight.
James Vanderzon , Chevy Chase
At the Lincoln Memorial, a family affair
The Feb. 20 Metro article about the construction of the new Lincoln Memorial visitor center, “ Exhibit space to be built under Lincoln Memorial ,” missed the cogent and compellingly coincidental fun fact about sculptor Daniel Chester French and his equally significant father, Henry Flagg French. This father-son “tag team” was fundamentally and integrally a part of that significant memorial. Henry Flagg French was the inventor of the ingenious and ubiquitous French drain. Daniel Chester French, of course, was the sculptor of that magnificent seated Abraham Lincoln within the memorial’s “temple.”
Installation of a French drain around the perimeter of the Lincoln Memorial due to its formerly swampy location was a significant feature of its original construction, and its restoration was one of the first phases of the visitor center construction now underway. This family connection is an extraordinary detail about the memorial’s history.
Rocky Semmes , Alexandria
Focus on the perpetrators instead of the victims
Regarding the Feb. 18 front-page article “ The crisis in American girlhood ”:
Kate Woodsome: American teens are unwell because American society is unwell
Why is it that whenever there’s an article about young girls being sexually assaulted, the spotlight is on them? Why on earth is the focus not on the boys and men carrying out the violent, sexual acts? Stop victimizing women in your articles. Focus on the criminals, and stop perpetuating the sickness and violence.
Lauren McNulty , Los Angeles
‘Deniers’ label is being too kind
Regarding the Feb. 16 front-page article “ A wave of pushback on election deniers ”:
When will The Post, as well as other media, stop using that new, oh-so-objective term and call election “deniers” what they truly are? Sore losers. Whatever happened to using plain old, venerable English for these whiners?
Gus Bauman , Silver Spring
Editors in short supply on this lede
The Feb. 20 Metro article “ Carjacker met victims on Tinder, police say ” needed a good copy editor. The article started out this way: “A 26-year-old Maryland man is accused of raping, kidnapping and carjacking people he met on a dating app at gunpoint.” It must be an interesting dating app where you get to meet people at gunpoint.
Melissa Yorks , Gaithersburg
A syntactic question on the IRS
The sub headline “The IRS should be not running on 60-year-old technology” of the Feb. 23 editorial, “ A taxing situation ,” raised a Shakespearean syntactical question: To be, or not to be, or to be not?
Gary A. Michel , North Potomac
Good answers start with good questions
Regarding the Feb. 7 front-page article “ Poll: Biden policies not making an impact ”:
How should I respond when a Post-ABC poll asks whether an elected official “has made progress” on some issue when I don’t want the official’s target to happen? Perhaps I disagree with the policy, or perhaps I believe the “problem” isn’t the official’s to solve. A newspaper that phrases questions that way displays its own desired outcomes.
Thomas Burket , Potomac
Duruflé’s musical work is beloved
Regarding the Feb. 14 Metro obituary “ Organist at ‘Church of the Presidents’ in D.C. ”:
The content on renowned organist, choirmaster and music director Albert Russell noted that Maurice Duruflé’s “Requiem ” is the only work by Duruflé to take its place within the standard choral repertory. That might be true for full-size choruses, but just as beloved by chamber choruses are Duruflé’s “Four Motets on Gregorian Themes,” especially the opening “Ubi caritas.”
As a singer in choruses, large and small, for nearly half a century, I have loved performing these compositions and everything else Duruflé wrote.
Donald R. Juran , Rockville
A better way to describe hospice
The Feb. 19 news article “ Carter, longest-living president, opts for home hospice ” provided a generally helpful description of hospice but included an inaccuracy. It said that hospice is for those who have “chosen to suspend treatment.”
As a certified hospice nurse practitioner and health policy consultant for national hospice organizations, I need to point out that hospice is its own kind of very special medical treatment. Perhaps a better way to describe it would have been to say hospice is a “special treatment for patients who have chosen to focus on comfort, quality of life, and support for themselves and their families.”
Marian Grant , Reisterstown
Before his NBA failure, Rubin provided great memories for kids
The Feb. 27 Sports article “ Making NBA history, for the worst possible reason ” accurately portrayed Roy Rubin’s only shot as an NBA coach, with the Philadelphia 76ers, as an abysmal failure. However, Rubin was more than an outstanding college coach with Long Island University, as the article mentioned, and an outstanding high school coach before that. I can also speak to my experience with him at a summer basketball camp.
While he was coaching at LIU, he also was an owner and coach at Camp Chippewa in New Hampshire. I was fortunate to play under him at the camp as a 14-year-old about to enter 10th grade. I was definitely the worst of the players that summer.
I was there by the grace of my father’s friendship with Rubin, a relationship that went back to their high school days. I never played high school or college ball; youth leagues were fine for me. Rubin was a superb coach, tutor and passionate leader of youths; he instilled great values.
The highlight for me that summer, thanks to Rubin, was when we participated in Bob Cousy’s Camp Graylag tournament — when I met the Boston Celtic great. The article brought back all those memories.
George Margolies , Rockville
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How to Write Critical Reviews
When you are asked to write a critical review of a book or article, you will need to identify, summarize, and evaluate the ideas and information the author has presented. In other words, you will be examining another person’s thoughts on a topic from your point of view.
Your stand must go beyond your “gut reaction” to the work and be based on your knowledge (readings, lecture, experience) of the topic as well as on factors such as criteria stated in your assignment or discussed by you and your instructor.
Make your stand clear at the beginning of your review, in your evaluations of specific parts, and in your concluding commentary.
Remember that your goal should be to make a few key points about the book or article, not to discuss everything the author writes.
Understanding the Assignment
To write a good critical review, you will have to engage in the mental processes of analyzing (taking apart) the work–deciding what its major components are and determining how these parts (i.e., paragraphs, sections, or chapters) contribute to the work as a whole.
Analyzing the work will help you focus on how and why the author makes certain points and prevent you from merely summarizing what the author says. Assuming the role of an analytical reader will also help you to determine whether or not the author fulfills the stated purpose of the book or article and enhances your understanding or knowledge of a particular topic.
Be sure to read your assignment thoroughly before you read the article or book. Your instructor may have included specific guidelines for you to follow. Keeping these guidelines in mind as you read the article or book can really help you write your paper!
Also, note where the work connects with what you’ve studied in the course. You can make the most efficient use of your reading and notetaking time if you are an active reader; that is, keep relevant questions in mind and jot down page numbers as well as your responses to ideas that appear to be significant as you read.
Please note: The length of your introduction and overview, the number of points you choose to review, and the length of your conclusion should be proportionate to the page limit stated in your assignment and should reflect the complexity of the material being reviewed as well as the expectations of your reader.
Write the introduction
Below are a few guidelines to help you write the introduction to your critical review.
Introduce your review appropriately
Begin your review with an introduction appropriate to your assignment.
If your assignment asks you to review only one book and not to use outside sources, your introduction will focus on identifying the author, the title, the main topic or issue presented in the book, and the author’s purpose in writing the book.
If your assignment asks you to review the book as it relates to issues or themes discussed in the course, or to review two or more books on the same topic, your introduction must also encompass those expectations.
Explain relationships
For example, before you can review two books on a topic, you must explain to your reader in your introduction how they are related to one another.
Within this shared context (or under this “umbrella”) you can then review comparable aspects of both books, pointing out where the authors agree and differ.
In other words, the more complicated your assignment is, the more your introduction must accomplish.
Finally, the introduction to a book review is always the place for you to establish your position as the reviewer (your thesis about the author’s thesis).
As you write, consider the following questions:
- Is the book a memoir, a treatise, a collection of facts, an extended argument, etc.? Is the article a documentary, a write-up of primary research, a position paper, etc.?
- Who is the author? What does the preface or foreword tell you about the author’s purpose, background, and credentials? What is the author’s approach to the topic (as a journalist? a historian? a researcher?)?
- What is the main topic or problem addressed? How does the work relate to a discipline, to a profession, to a particular audience, or to other works on the topic?
- What is your critical evaluation of the work (your thesis)? Why have you taken that position? What criteria are you basing your position on?
Provide an overview
In your introduction, you will also want to provide an overview. An overview supplies your reader with certain general information not appropriate for including in the introduction but necessary to understanding the body of the review.
Generally, an overview describes your book’s division into chapters, sections, or points of discussion. An overview may also include background information about the topic, about your stand, or about the criteria you will use for evaluation.
The overview and the introduction work together to provide a comprehensive beginning for (a “springboard” into) your review.
- What are the author’s basic premises? What issues are raised, or what themes emerge? What situation (i.e., racism on college campuses) provides a basis for the author’s assertions?
- How informed is my reader? What background information is relevant to the entire book and should be placed here rather than in a body paragraph?
Write the body
The body is the center of your paper, where you draw out your main arguments. Below are some guidelines to help you write it.
Organize using a logical plan
Organize the body of your review according to a logical plan. Here are two options:
- First, summarize, in a series of paragraphs, those major points from the book that you plan to discuss; incorporating each major point into a topic sentence for a paragraph is an effective organizational strategy. Second, discuss and evaluate these points in a following group of paragraphs. (There are two dangers lurking in this pattern–you may allot too many paragraphs to summary and too few to evaluation, or you may re-summarize too many points from the book in your evaluation section.)
- Alternatively, you can summarize and evaluate the major points you have chosen from the book in a point-by-point schema. That means you will discuss and evaluate point one within the same paragraph (or in several if the point is significant and warrants extended discussion) before you summarize and evaluate point two, point three, etc., moving in a logical sequence from point to point to point. Here again, it is effective to use the topic sentence of each paragraph to identify the point from the book that you plan to summarize or evaluate.
Questions to keep in mind as you write
With either organizational pattern, consider the following questions:
- What are the author’s most important points? How do these relate to one another? (Make relationships clear by using transitions: “In contrast,” an equally strong argument,” “moreover,” “a final conclusion,” etc.).
- What types of evidence or information does the author present to support his or her points? Is this evidence convincing, controversial, factual, one-sided, etc.? (Consider the use of primary historical material, case studies, narratives, recent scientific findings, statistics.)
- Where does the author do a good job of conveying factual material as well as personal perspective? Where does the author fail to do so? If solutions to a problem are offered, are they believable, misguided, or promising?
- Which parts of the work (particular arguments, descriptions, chapters, etc.) are most effective and which parts are least effective? Why?
- Where (if at all) does the author convey personal prejudice, support illogical relationships, or present evidence out of its appropriate context?
Keep your opinions distinct and cite your sources
Remember, as you discuss the author’s major points, be sure to distinguish consistently between the author’s opinions and your own.
Keep the summary portions of your discussion concise, remembering that your task as a reviewer is to re-see the author’s work, not to re-tell it.
And, importantly, if you refer to ideas from other books and articles or from lecture and course materials, always document your sources, or else you might wander into the realm of plagiarism.
Include only that material which has relevance for your review and use direct quotations sparingly. The Writing Center has other handouts to help you paraphrase text and introduce quotations.
Write the conclusion
You will want to use the conclusion to state your overall critical evaluation.
You have already discussed the major points the author makes, examined how the author supports arguments, and evaluated the quality or effectiveness of specific aspects of the book or article.
Now you must make an evaluation of the work as a whole, determining such things as whether or not the author achieves the stated or implied purpose and if the work makes a significant contribution to an existing body of knowledge.
Consider the following questions:
- Is the work appropriately subjective or objective according to the author’s purpose?
- How well does the work maintain its stated or implied focus? Does the author present extraneous material? Does the author exclude or ignore relevant information?
- How well has the author achieved the overall purpose of the book or article? What contribution does the work make to an existing body of knowledge or to a specific group of readers? Can you justify the use of this work in a particular course?
- What is the most important final comment you wish to make about the book or article? Do you have any suggestions for the direction of future research in the area? What has reading this work done for you or demonstrated to you?

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Article Review

Article Review - A Complete Writing Guide With Examples
Published on: Feb 17, 2020
Last updated on: Dec 19, 2022

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An article review format is a scholarly way to analyze and evaluate the work of other experts in your specific field. Scholars or students mainly use it outside of the education system. But it's typically done for clarity, originality, and how well contributions from this expert have been made to their discipline.
When answering questions about what is an article review and how to write one, you must understand the type of analysis the instructor requires. Continue reading to get a detailed idea of writing a perfect article review in no time.
What is an Article Review?
An article review is a writing piece that summarizes and assesses someone else's article. It entails understanding the central theme of the article, supporting arguments, and implications for further research.
A review has specific guidelines and format to write. It can be either a critical review or a literature review. A critical analysis deals with a specific type of text in detail, while a literature review is a broader kind of document.
Moreover, an article review is important because of the following reasons:
- It helps to clarify questions.
- It allows you to see other people’s thoughts and perspectives on current issues.
- It helps you correct the language and sentence structure that does not make sense.
- After reading different reviews, the writers can get out of personal biases.
- It further improves the grammar and makes your writing skills better and clearer.
- Lastly, it helps to provide suggestions or criticism on the article for future research.

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Types of Review
Below are the three main types of article reviews:
1. Journal Article Review
A journal article review is essentially a critique of an academic paper. Here, the author provides his thoughts on both strengths and weaknesses to demonstrate how it fits in with other work and what makes this publication stand out.
Check out the following example to help you understand better.
Example of Journal Article Review
2. Research Article Review
A research article review is different from a journal article review as it evaluates the research methods used in the study. It also compares them to other research studies.
Here is a sample for you to get an idea.
Example of Research Article Review
3. Science Article Review
Science article reviews involve publications in the realm of science. This type of research provides detailed background information so you can understand it in a better way.
Have a look at the below example.
Example of Science Article Review
Article Review Format
The format of your article must follow the citation style required by your professor. If you are not sure, ask him to clarify the following pointers about the preferred format. It will help you format an article review adequately.
- What format is appropriate to cite your articles? (MLA, APA, ASA, Chicago, etc.)
- What should be the length of the review?
- Should it include a summary, critique, or personal opinion?
- Does the professor require background information?
- Does it require mentioning a central idea within the article?
After knowing the answers to these questions, you can start writing your article review. Here, we have mentioned the two most commonly used citation styles, APA and MLA.
1. APA Format
An article can appear in academic journals, newspapers, and websites. You need to write bibliographical entries for the sources you use when writing an APA format article review:
- 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.
2. MLA Format
Here is how you cite your sources in 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.
How to Write an Article Review?
Students often find writing an article review for the very first time daunting. Thus, it is best to start with a few preparatory steps.
The following is a complete step-by-step guide to write an effective article review in no time
1. The Pre-Writing Process
First, you need to know the type of review you are writing as it will help while reading an article. Here are some of the main stages of this process to help you get started.
- Summarize the article by listing all the main points, ideas, insight observations, and general information presented in the article.
- Identify the strong claims that the author has made.
- Identify any possible contradictions and gaps in the article and evaluate if the writer has used sufficient arguments and findings to support the ideas.
- Determine if there are any questions left unanswered by the author.
- Read the article fully.
- Evaluate the title, abstract, introduction, headings, subheadings, opening sentences, and conclusion of the article.
After this process, you can begin writing your own review.
2. Write the Title
First, write a title that reflects the main focus of your research work. It can be either interrogative, descriptive, or declarative.
3. Cite the Article
Next, add the citation for the article that you have reviewed. Consider the style of citation specified by your instructor. For example, if you were using MLA style, the citation would look like this:
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.
4. Article Identification
After citing the article properly, include the identification of the reviewed article. All the information given below must be included in the first paragraph.
- Title of the article
- Title of the journal
- Year of publication
For Example
The report, “Poverty increases school drop-outs,” was written by Brian Faith – a Health officer – in 2000.
5. Introduction
Before you start to write, you must organize your thoughts. You can use an article review template or outline of your assignment before you start. However, if you are wondering how to start an article review, always start with writing an introduction. It should contain the following things:
- Thesis of your review
- Summary of the key points of the article
- Positive aspects and facts presented in the research study
- Critique of the publication including contradictions, gaps, and unanswered questions
6. Summarize the Article
Write the summary of the article and discuss the central arguments presented by the author. Also, make a list of relevant facts and findings and include the author's conclusion.
7. Critique It
Here, state the author’s contribution and present the strengths and weaknesses that you have found in the article. Also, make a list of research gaps and see if the facts and theories support the arguments.
8. Draft a Conclusion
This section will sum up the critical points, findings, and your critique of the article. Here, the writer should also state the accuracy and validity of the review by presenting suggestions for future research work.
9. Revise and Proofread
The last step before submitting your article review is revising and proofreading. It is an essential part of the writing process, so make sure to do it right. For this, read the review aloud to identify any spelling, grammar, punctuation, and structure mistakes.
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Article Review Outline
After reading your article, organize your thoughts in an outline. Write down important facts or contributions to the field. Also, identify the weaknesses and strengths of your publication and start to discuss them accordingly.
If your professor doesn't want a summary section, then do not write one. Like other assignments, an article review must also contain an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. So divide your outline according to these sections and subheadings in the body.
If you find that you're having trouble with prewriting and brainstorming for this assignment, try looking for a sample outline. An outline for the article review must contain the below parts:
- Pre-Title Page: State the type of the article that you are reviewing, the title of the publication, authors who contributed to it, and author’s affiliations (position, department, institute, city, state, country, email ID)
- Optional Corresponding Author Details: Name, address, phone number, email, and fax number.
- Running Head: It is the title of your paper, less than 40 characters.
- Summary Page: It is an optional section, depending on the demands of your professor. This summary should be a maximum of 800 words long. Just use clear and to the point language and do not give references in this section. Instead, state the background information about why the work is done and summarize the results.
- Title Page: Full title, 250-word abstract followed by “Keywords:” and 4-6 keywords.
- Introduction
- Body: Include headings and subheadings
- Works Cited/References
- Tables and Figures (if instructed by the professor.)
Refer to the following template to understand outlining the article review in detail.
Article Review Format Template
Article Review Example
Here is a sample review paper for you to write your own perfectly on time.
Sample of Article Review
Law Article Review
Looking at relevant article review examples may be useful to you in the following ways:
- To get you started reading academic works by experts in your field.
- To assist you in identifying the key researchers working in a particular area of study.
- To assist you in describing the significant discoveries and advances made in your field.
- To assist you in uncovering the key shortcomings in your field's current knowledge—which may lead to innovative ideas.
- To assist you in obtaining credible support and documentation for your own consideration.
- To assist you in coming up with even more research subjects.
- To assist you to learn more about the subject and developing into a specialist in your field.
- To get a firm understanding of how to write an effective review.
You can learn a lot about an author's style and voice by reading selections from their work. As you can see, skimming a few samples may be really useful to you.
As a result, the best method to acquire experience writing this sort of paper is to look for an online article review example that matches your grade level.
Article Review Topics
Below you can find examples of topics for article review.
- Communication differences between males and females
- The importance of sport for students
- Negative health effects caused by illegal drugs and substances
- Use of drugs in professional sports
- Obesity and its negative effects on health
- Causes and treatment of infectious diseases
- Gender roles and their change in the modern world
- Gun violence in the USA
- Street art tendencies in the USA
- Illegal immigration in the USA
It is hard to write a good review because you need to find an article in a reliable source and read it. With this, you are also required to evaluate the information and think about any further limitations. Thus, the writer must have exceptional writing and analytical skills.
Therefore, if you are unsure about your skills, you can always get professional help online. MyPerfectWords.com is the top essay writer service that provides legit writing help at affordable rates. Our team of top writers can write papers of all types and for different academic levels and subject matters with perfection.
So, do not think much, and hire our writing services to get your review done within the given deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of an article review.
The main purpose of writing a review is to create an informative synthesis of the best resources available in the literature for an important research question or current area of study.
How long should an article review be?
Article reviews vary in length. Narrative reviews range between 8,000 and 40,000 words. On the other hand, systematic reviews are usually shorter and less than 10,000 words.
Barbara P (Literature, Marketing)
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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What is a review article?
Learn how to write a review article.
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 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.
Why write a review article?
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.
Did you know?
There are some journals that only publish review articles, and others that do not accept them.
Make sure you check the aims and scope of the journal you’d like to publish in to find out if it’s the right place for your review article.
How to write a review article
Below are 8 key items to consider when you begin writing your review article.
Check the journal’s aims and scope
Make sure you have read the aims and scope for the journal you are submitting to and follow them closely. Different journals accept different types of articles and not all will accept review articles, so it’s important to check this before you start writing.
Define your scope
Define the scope of your review article and the research question you’ll be answering, making sure your article contributes something new to the field.
As award-winning author Angus Crake told us, you’ll also need to “define the scope of your review so that it is manageable, not too large or small; it may be necessary to focus on recent advances if the field is well established.”
Finding sources to evaluate
When finding sources to evaluate, Angus Crake says it’s critical that you “use multiple search engines/databases so you don’t miss any important ones.”
For finding studies for a systematic review in medical sciences, read advice from NCBI .
Writing your title, abstract and keywords
Spend time writing an effective title, abstract and keywords. This will help maximize the visibility of your article online, making sure the right readers find your research. Your title and abstract should be clear, concise, accurate, and informative.
For more information and guidance on getting these right, read our guide to writing a good abstract and title and our researcher’s guide to search engine optimization .
Introduce the topic
Does a literature review need an introduction? Yes, always start with an overview of the topic and give some context, explaining why a review of the topic is necessary. Gather research to inform your introduction and make it broad enough to reach out to a large audience of non-specialists. This will help maximize its wider relevance and impact.
Don’t make your introduction too long. Divide the review into sections of a suitable length to allow key points to be identified more easily.
Include critical discussion
Make sure you present a critical discussion, not just a descriptive summary of the topic. If there is contradictory research in your area of focus, make sure to include an element of debate and present both sides of the argument. You can also use your review paper to resolve conflict between contradictory studies.
What researchers say
Angus Crake, researcher
As part of your conclusion, include making suggestions for future research on the topic. Focus on the goal to communicate what you understood and what unknowns still remains.
Use a critical friend
Always perform a final spell and grammar check of your article before submission.
You may want to ask a critical friend or colleague to give their feedback before you submit. If English is not your first language, think about using a language-polishing service.
Find out more about how Taylor & Francis Editing Services can help improve your manuscript before you submit.
What is the difference between a research article and a review article?
Before you submit your review article….
Complete this checklist before you submit your review article:
Have you checked the journal’s aims and scope?
Have you defined the scope of your article?
Did you use multiple search engines to find sources to evaluate?
Have you written a descriptive title and abstract using keywords?
Did you start with an overview of the topic?
Have you presented a critical discussion?
Have you included future suggestions for research in your conclusion?
Have you asked a friend to do a final spell and grammar check?

Expert help for your manuscript

Taylor & Francis Editing Services offers a full range of pre-submission manuscript preparation services to help you improve the quality of your manuscript and submit with confidence.
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COMMENTS
An article critique requires you to critically read a piece of research and identify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article. How is a critique different from a summary? A summary of a research article requires you to share the key points of the article so your reader can get a clear picture of what the article is about.
Step 1: Reading the Article First of all, to critique the article, you need to read it carefully. It is recommended to read the piece several times—until you fully understand the information presented for a better outcome. Next, you need to address the following questions: 1. Why is the article's author considered an expert in their field?
Writing an article CRITIQUE A critique asks you to evaluate an article and the author's argument. You will need to look critically at what the author is claiming, evaluate the research methods, and look for possible problems with, or applications of, the researcher's claims. Introduction
WHAT IS AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE? A critique is a systematic way of objectively reviewing a piece of research to highlight both its strengths and weaknesses, and its applicability to practice. Professionals often need to be able to identify best current practice, and the ability to evaluate and use
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.
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.
Read the points and questions below, answer them to yourself, put down your answers and you arrive at a rough draft of an article critique example - just created by you to fit the requirements. Introduction - contains author's name, article title and date of publication as well as source.
Thus, each section of an article is subjected to critique as follows: Introduction Check the extent to which the title of the article interest and allow you to have an immediate idea of the content of the research. Identify the authors of the research article and/or parties that conducted the research is published.
The main idea is to critique them. This is actually why the assignment has its name; Another common mistake students make is delivering heir impression instead of arguments to support their point of view. You need to focus on clear evidence and back them up; Do not concentrate on the main idea only. Every event has the cause and result.
How To Critique A Journal Article. Sponsored by The Center for Teaching and Learning at UIS. Last Edited 4/9/2009 Page 1 of 2. So your assignment is to critique a journal article. This handout will give you a few guidelines to follow as you go. But wait, what kind of a journal article is it: an empirical/research article, or a review of literature?
In simple terms, an article critique is a type of essay writing where an author should provide sufficient, unbiased, critical evaluation of the article in question. Of course, it will involve at least a brief summary of the contents and information about the author's background (if it is necessary).
A good critique demonstrates your impressions of the article, while providing ample evidence to back up your impressions. As the critic, take time to read carefully and thoughtfully, prepare your arguments and evidence, and write clearly and cogently. Method 1 Reading Actively 1 Read through the article once to get the main idea.
Article Summary. Provide a brief summary of the article. Outline the main points, results, and discussion. When describing the study or paper, experts suggest that you include a summary of the questions being addressed, study participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design. 2 . Don't get bogged down by your summary.
Use these guidelines to critique your selected research article to be included in your research proposal. You do not need to address all the questions indicated in this guideline, and only include the questions that apply. 2. Prepare your report as a paper with appropriate headings and use APA format 5th edition.
A critique evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a research article. In contrast, a summary provides an overview of the article's main points. A critique offers your analysis and interpretation of the research, whereas a summary reports what the article says.
of the article and the supporting points that the article uses. o 3 Read the article again. To write a thorough article critique you must have thorough knowledge of the article. Reading it more than once helps to ensure that you haven't missed any important details. o 4 Consider the credentials of the author. Does the author of the article
Step 2: Write an Outline for an Article Critique. An article critique outline is a good start to put together a high-level plan for your essay. It should include your main points about the original article. You shouldn't include many details in your outline. Nor should you use full sentences to describe your ideas.
Step 1: Active Reading. You cannot possibly produce an article critique without reading and understanding the research article itself. As a rule, journal articles are quite extensive and contain terms you are not aware of. Thus, just reading the research will not suffice.
As demonstrated in a previous Monthly Review article (" World Development under Monopoly Capitalism ," November 2021), global supply chains have contributed to dynamics of concentration in leading firms, and a marked shift in national income from labor to capital across much of the world. 3. Capitalism, as Karl Marx observed, is rooted in ...
Essentially, these visions of dystopian games offer a critique of the intensification of capitalism, wherein every decision is made with the market in mind first. Dystopias exaggerate what they ...
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.
Writing Critiques. Writing a critique involves more than pointing out mistakes. It involves conducting a systematic analysis of a scholarly article or book and then writing a fair and reasonable description of its strengths and weaknesses. Several scholarly journals have published guides for critiquing other people's work in their academic area.
Another Feb. 18 news article was titled "5 ex-Memphis police officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols," and a Feb. 14 front-page article had the headline "Scrutiny for FBI over ex ...
To write a good critical review, you will have to engage in the mental processes of analyzing (taking apart) the work-deciding what its major components are and determining how these parts (i.e., paragraphs, sections, or chapters) contribute to the work as a whole. Analyzing the work will help you focus on how and why the author makes certain ...
An article review is a writing piece that summarizes and assesses someone else's article. It entails understanding the central theme of the article, supporting arguments, and implications for further research. A review has specific guidelines and format to write. It can be either a critical review or a literature review.
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 ...
The article critique should begin with an introduction that offers an overview of the article and its objective. Your analysis has to include an assessment of the study design, methods, and data analysis presented in the publication. In addition to this, you should examine the article's relevance and application to the topics covered in the ...