Cite a review article like any journal article: author(s), year, article title, journal, volume(issue), pages, and DOI or URL per your style.
When you lean on a review article, you’re summarizing the work of experts who read widely and synthesize a field.
Getting the citation right gives credit, guides readers to the source, and keeps your writing clean.
This guide shows how to cite a review article across common styles with clear patterns and ready-to-use examples.
Quick Start: The Pieces Of A Review Article Citation
Across styles, a review article uses the same core elements you use for any journal article.
You rarely need to add a special label; just cite what’s on the page.
Here are the moving parts you’ll assemble in a set order.
| Style | In-Text Pattern | Reference List Pattern (compact) |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | (Surname & Surname, Year) | Surname, A. A., & Surname, B. B. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx |
| MLA 9 | (Surname page) | Surname, Firstname, and Firstname Surname. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. Volume, no. Issue, Year, pp. pages. DOI or URL. |
| Chicago Author-Date | (Surname Year, page) | Surname, Firstname. Year. “Article Title.” Journal Title Volume, no. Issue: pages. DOI. |
| Chicago Notes | Note number | Firstname Surname, “Article Title,” Journal Title Volume, no. Issue (Month Year): pages, DOI. |
| AMA 11 | Superscript number | Surname A, Surname B. Article title. Journal Title. Year;Volume(Issue):pages. doi:xxxxx |
| IEEE | [number] | Author, “Article Title,” Journal Title, vol. Volume, no. Issue, pp. pages, Year, doi:xxxxx |
| Vancouver/NLM | [number] | Surname AA, Surname BB. Article title. Journal Title. Year;Volume(Issue):pages. doi:xxxxx |
Citing A Review Article In Different Styles
APA 7 (Author-Date)
APA treats a review article like any journal article. Use sentence case for the article title, italicize the journal,
give the volume in italics, the issue in parentheses, the page range, and a DOI as a https://doi.org/ link when present.
See the official patterns under APA journal article references.
APA In-Text
Paraphrase: (Doe & Lee, 2023). Direct quote: (Doe & Lee, 2023, p. 112).
APA Reference
Doe, J., & Lee, M. (2023). Vitamin D and autoimmune disorders: A review. Journal of Clinical Research, 15(2), 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1000/jcr.2023.015
MLA 9 (Humanities)
Use title case for the article title in quotation marks and italicize the journal.
Add volume, issue, year, and pages with “pp.” before the range.
Place a DOI or stable URL at the end. Access dates are optional unless your instructor asks for them.
MLA In-Text
(Doe 112)
MLA Works Cited
Doe, Jane, and Michael Lee. “Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disorders: A Review.” Journal of Clinical Research, vol. 15, no. 2, 2023, pp. 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1000/jcr.2023.015.
Chicago (Author-Date And Notes)
Chicago offers two systems. Author-Date mirrors APA for in-text citations.
The Notes system uses footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography. Provide volume, issue, full page span, and a DOI when you have one.
See the Chicago Author-Date journal guide for patterns.
Chicago Author-Date In-Text
(Doe and Lee 2023, 112)
Chicago Author-Date Reference
Doe, Jane, and Michael Lee. 2023. “Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disorders: A Review.” Journal of Clinical Research 15, no. 2: 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1000/jcr.2023.015.
Chicago Notes/Bibliography
Note: 1. Jane Doe and Michael Lee, “Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disorders: A Review,” Journal of Clinical Research 15, no. 2 (2023): 112, https://doi.org/10.1000/jcr.2023.015.
Bibliography: Doe, Jane, and Michael Lee. “Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disorders: A Review.” Journal of Clinical Research 15, no. 2 (2023): 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1000/jcr.2023.015.
AMA 11 (Medicine)
Use superscript numerals in text that match your reference list.
List authors as surnames plus initials without periods, title in sentence case, journal title in italics, year;volume(issue):pages, and a doi: label.
AMA In-Text
Review articles summarize current evidence.^1
AMA Reference
Doe J, Lee M. Vitamin D and autoimmune disorders: a review. Journal of Clinical Research. 2023;15(2):101-120. doi:10.1000/jcr.2023.015
IEEE (Engineering)
Use bracketed numbers in text. The reference begins with the author, then the article in quotation marks, journal title in italics, volume, issue, pages, year, and doi.
IEEE In-Text
As reviewed in [1] …
IEEE Reference
[1] J. Doe and M. Lee, “Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disorders: A Review,” Journal of Clinical Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 101-120, 2023, doi:10.1000/jcr.2023.015.
Vancouver/NLM (Health Sciences)
Use numeric citations that map to a numbered list. The entry lists authors, article title in sentence case, journal title (often abbreviated), year;volume(issue):pages, and a doi when available.
Vancouver In-Text
… as shown in recent summaries.^1
Vancouver Reference
Doe J, Lee M. Vitamin D and autoimmune disorders: a review. J Clin Res. 2023;15(2):101-120. doi:10.1000/jcr.2023.015
When To Cite The Review Or The Studies
If your sentence pulls a claim, model, or takeaway from the review article as a whole, cite the review.
If a single trial or dataset drives your point, track down that primary study and cite it as well.
You can still keep the review in your list, since it helped you locate and understand the topic.
Writers sometimes worry about “secondary citation.” The safe path is simple:
read the study you plan to rely on, then credit both the review and the study when each serves a different purpose.
The review shows consensus and scope; the study supplies the exact numbers or methods you need.
In-Text Choices Across Styles
- APA: Paraphrase the review (Doe & Lee, 2023) and, when quoting a trial, add the trial’s author and year as well.
- MLA: Paraphrase the review (Doe 112); quote a result from the trial with its own author and page.
- Chicago Author-Date: Use (Doe and Lee 2023) for the review; add (Trial Author Year, page) for the trial.
- Notes: Place a note for the review and a separate note for the trial where needed.
- AMA/IEEE/Vancouver: Use separate numbers for review and trial, matched to distinct entries.
Edge Cases And Fixes
Real sources don’t always match the neat pattern. These notes handle common quirks for review articles so your entry stays tidy and traceable.
| Situation | What To Do | Example Stub |
|---|---|---|
| No DOI | Use the journal URL or a database permalink if your style allows. Skip live links in AMA/Vancouver when not asked. | … pages. Retrieved from https://journal.example.org |
| ePub Ahead Of Print | Add the online-first date if your style wants it. Keep the DOI. | (Year, Month Day). Advance online publication. DOI |
| Many Authors | APA lists up to 20. AMA/Vancouver list up to 6 then “et al.” | First 6 authors, et al. |
| Special Issue Or Supplement | Keep the supplement label with the issue or pages. | Volume(Suppl 1):S10-S25 |
| Article Number Instead Of Pages | Use the eLocator or article ID in place of page range. | 15(2):e12345 |
| Translated Title | Give the original title first. Some styles allow a translation in brackets. | “Original title [English translation]” |
| Group Author | Treat the organization name as the author. | World Allergy Org. … |
Common Formatting Slip-Ups To Watch
- Ampersand vs “and”: APA uses “&” inside parentheses and the reference list; Chicago and MLA use “and.”
- Title case vs sentence case: MLA and IEEE use title case for article titles; APA, AMA, and Vancouver use sentence case.
- Page ranges: Use an en dash (101–120), not a hyphen. Some journals drop leading digits (101–20); style rules vary.
- Journal names: Keep the journal title in italics. Vancouver often uses PubMed abbreviations (such as J Clin Res).
- URLs: Prefer DOIs. If you must use a URL, choose the stable journal link, not a personal library link.
- Punctuation: Match the comma, colon, and period pattern of the style; small marks change fast in auto-generated exports.
Practical Tips That Save Time
Use the DOI when you can. Match capitalization rules to the style. Always pair in-text citations with a reference list entry.
Quote a page number in styles that ask for it when you lift exact wording.
If you rely on the review’s summary of a primary study, cite the review, not the study you didn’t read.
When a review article flags a result you plan to quote or study closely, try to read the primary study as well and cite both.
Check punctuation marks against your template.
Mini Glossary For Quick Checks
DOI: a permanent link for digital items; it starts with 10. and works with a https://doi.org/ prefix.
Volume/Issue: the journal’s numbering; some journals skip issues.
eLocator: an article number used by many open-access journals.
Preprint: a manuscript posted before peer review; don’t cite it as a review article unless the record clearly says so.
Review vs Systematic Review: use the exact article type as named by the journal; the citation format stays the same.
Ready Reference: One Clean Workflow
1) Grab the article PDF or landing page.
2) Copy the author line, year, title, journal, volume, issue, pages or article number, and DOI.
3) Pick your style.
4) Paste into a template from this page.
5) Read your entry out loud to catch stray punctuation.
6) Make the in-text citation match the reference.
That’s it—your review article is now cited cleanly and consistently.