To cite a review, name the reviewer, the review title, the work reviewed, the source, the date, and a DOI or URL as your style guide requires.
Citation rules look tricky until you map each style’s building blocks. This guide walks you through the exact pieces you need for reviews in journals, newspapers, magazines, and on the web. You’ll see what changes across APA, MLA, and Chicago, plus quick templates and live examples you can adapt in seconds.
Citing A Review Across Styles
Across styles, a review entry answers four questions: Who wrote the review, what is the review called, what item is being reviewed, and where did the review appear. Name the reviewer first, give the review title if one exists, add a bracketed cue such as [Review of the book Title], then supply the periodical or site with date and locator. End with a DOI or stable URL when the style accepts it.
| Style | Core Elements | Template |
|---|---|---|
| APA (7th) | Reviewer; date; review title; bracketed description; source; volume/issue or section; pages; DOI/URL | Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title [Review of the work Title, by A. A. Author]. Source, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| MLA (9th) | Reviewer; “review” title; Review of Work by Creator; Container (journal/newspaper/site); volume/issue; date; pages; DOI/URL | Reviewer Last, First. “Title.” Review of Work, by Creator. Container, vol. x, no. y, Day Mon. Year, pp. xx–xx. DOI/URL |
| Chicago | Reviewer; “review” title; Review of Work by Creator; Publication; volume, no.; date; pages; DOI/URL | Last, First. “Title.” Review of Work, by Creator. Publication volume, no. issue (Year): pages. DOI/URL |
APA Review Citations Without Guesswork
APA treats a review as the same content type as its source. A review in a newspaper uses the newspaper article model; a review in a journal follows the journal article model. Add a bracketed phrase right after the title that identifies the item reviewed and its creator. Include a DOI for journal reviews when available; use the URL for online newspaper or magazine reviews. APA capitalizes only the first word of titles and proper nouns; periodical names are in title case and italic.
APA Journal Review Template
Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title of review [Review of the book Title of work, by A. A. Author]. Journal Name, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
APA Newspaper Or Magazine Review Template
Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review [Review of Work, by A. A. Creator]. Newspaper Or Magazine. URL
APA’s newspaper rules confirm the date format, section names, and link use. For details, see the official page for newspaper article references. That page covers print and online versions and shows how to handle updates, comments, and page ranges.
MLA Review Citations That Read Clean
MLA leads with the reviewer, supplies the review title in quotation marks, then adds the phrase “Review of” followed by the work and its creator. The periodical or site forms the container. Add volume and issue for journals, the full date for newspapers, and the URL or DOI at the end. MLA uses title case for the periodical and headline-style capitalization for titles. Drop “http://” and include “https://” only when required by your teacher or publisher.
MLA Journal Review Template
Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Work, by Creator. Journal Name, vol. x, no. y, Year, pp. xx–xx. DOI or URL.
MLA Newspaper Or Web Review Template
Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Work, by Creator. Newspaper Or Site, Day Mon. Year, URL.
For product and media reviews on the open web, the MLA Style Center gives clear direction on titles, creators, and containers. See the guidance on citing product reviews for patterns you can adapt to books, films, games, and more.
Chicago Notes And Bibliography For Reviews
Chicago adds the words “Review of” before the item title. In notes, include full publication facts on first mention, then a shortened form later. In the bibliography, list the reviewer name, review title in quotes, publication, volume and issue, year in parentheses, page range, and DOI or URL when available. For author-date, move the year right after the reviewer name and adjust punctuation. CMOS shows model entries and confirms that DOIs are preferred over bare URLs when both exist.
Chicago Notes Entry
1. Reviewer First Last, “Title of Review,” review of Work, by Creator First Last, Publication volume, no. issue (Year): pages, DOI or URL.
Chicago Bibliography Entry
Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Work, by Creator First Last. Publication volume, no. issue (Year): pages. DOI or URL.
CMOS provides open examples and plain-language notes. The citation guide shows full notes and matching bibliography entries in both systems. You can scan the official Chicago citation guide and then adapt the same shape for reviews.
Edge Cases You’ll See In Real Life
Untitled Review
When a review lacks a title, drop the title slot and begin with the reviewer’s name. In MLA and Chicago, keep the phrase “Review of” so the entry still signals the content type. In APA, that signal sits in brackets right after the missing title position, so the description starts immediately after the period following the date.
Anonymous Review
If no reviewer is named, start with the title of the review or with the description. Most styles avoid “Anonymous” unless the byline actually reads that way.
Multiple Works In One Review
List the items in the bracketed phrase or after “Review of,” separated by semicolons. When space runs tight, name the first work, then add “and others.”
Translated Work
Add the translator after the creator, using “trans.” in MLA and Chicago or a bracketed note in APA. Keep the main creator first.
Video Or Audio Review
Treat the host site or platform as the container. Add a description like [Video review] or [Audio review] after the title in APA; in MLA and Chicago, include a medium tag in the container or a concise note.
Printed copies and online entries can point to the same review, yet small details shift. A print piece shows page spans; the online copy may add a direct link. Pick one version and cite that version cleanly. If your teacher needs both, add a second entry labeled as an alternate version.
Worked Examples You Can Copy
APA Journal Review (With DOI)
Rivera, L. M. (2023). Close reading across borders [Review of the book Planetary Longings, by M. L. Pratt]. Critical Inquiry, 49(3), 492–494. https://doi.org/10.1086/723671
MLA Newspaper Review (Online)
Nguyen, An. “Lighting the fuse.” Review of Monsoon Journal, by Priya Rao. The Herald, 12 Jan. 2024, https://www.herald.example/review-monsoon-journal.
Chicago Notes And Bibliography (Magazine, Web)
Bibliography: Chen, Mira. “Small rooms, big stakes.” Review of Backstage Lives, by Imani Hale. StageCraft 18, no. 4 (2024). https://stagecraft.example/backstage-lives-review.
Note: 1. Mira Chen, “Small rooms, big stakes,” review of Backstage Lives, by Imani Hale, StageCraft 18, no. 4 (2024), https://stagecraft.example/backstage-lives-review.
Style Differences That Trip Writers
| Issue | What To Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Title punctuation | APA uses sentence case; MLA and Chicago use headline style. | Matching case avoids mixed styling inside one list. |
| Brackets vs. prose | APA uses brackets after the review title; MLA/Chicago use “Review of …”. | The cue tells readers that your source is a review, not the work itself. |
| Dates | APA and newspapers need Month Day Year; MLA uses Day Mon. Year; Chicago varies by source. | Periodicals rely on exact dates for retrieval. |
| DOI vs. URL | Use DOIs for journals when present; add URLs for web versions. | Stable links help readers reach the same copy you used. |
| Page ranges | Include pages for print items; many web reviews lack them. | Ranges help when readers need the exact passage. |
Fast Workflow To Format Any Review
Step 1: Gather The Right Facts
Collect the reviewer, review title, item reviewed, creator, source title, volume and issue if a journal, date, page range, and DOI or URL. Add editors or translators for the item when they’re prominent to the work’s identity.
Step 2: Pick The Style
Match the course, outlet, or client. Use the shapes above to plug in fields. Pay attention to title case and punctuation, since those change the look more than people expect.
Step 3: Build The Entry
Write the review title, add the cue phrase or bracketed description, then fill the container facts. Insert the DOI or URL at the end when your style allows it.
Step 4: Add The In-Text Link Or Note
APA uses author-date in text, so a parenthetical like (Rivera, 2023) or a narrative mention with the year fits. MLA uses the reviewer’s name and a page number if one exists. Chicago relies on notes; after the first full note, you can shorten later notes to last name, short title, and locator.
Step 5: Proof The Fine Print
Check italics on periodicals, hyphen style in page ranges, en dashes in spans, and live DOIs. Run a last pass for accents in names so databases match your entry.
One-Page Checklist
- Start with the reviewer’s name.
- Give the review title; if none, go straight to the cue phrase.
- Add the work and creator after the cue.
- Name the container: journal, magazine, newspaper, or site.
- Supply volume, issue, date, and pages when present.
- Finish with a DOI or stable URL.
- Match capitalization to the style.
- Mirror punctuation from the models above.
- Use notes or author-date in text to point to the entry.