How To Cite A Review | Clean, Quick, Correct

Guide / By

To cite a review, list the reviewer, date, title, what was reviewed in brackets, source details, and DOI or URL in the style you’re using.

Review citations look tricky, because the source can live in a journal, a newspaper, a blog, or a retailer page. The fix is simple: match the review type to a clear template, then fill in the main slots. This guide shows you how to do that without guesswork today.

Know Your Review Scenario

Start by naming the exact thing you are citing. Is it a scholarly review in a journal, a newspaper column, a post on a website, or a user review on a store page? The template shifts a bit based on that call. Pick your row in the table, grab the elements, and you are ready to format.

Review Scenario Elements To Capture Plain Template
Journal review Reviewer; date; review title; bracketed description of work reviewed; journal; volume(issue); pages; DOI/URL Reviewer. (Year). Title. [Review of Work, by Creator]. Journal, volume(issue), pages. DOI/URL
Newspaper or magazine review Reviewer; date; review title; bracketed description; newspaper/magazine; URL if online Reviewer. (Year, Month Day). Title. [Review of Work, by Creator]. Newspaper/Magazine. URL
Website review Reviewer; date; review title; bracketed description; site name; URL Reviewer. (Year, Month Day). Title. [Review of Work, by Creator]. Site Name. URL
User review on a retailer/platform Reviewer handle; date; untitled or short title; platform name; description of item; URL Reviewer. (Year, Month Day). [Review of Item]. Platform. URL

Core Elements You Need

No matter the style, a review citation usually carries the same building blocks. Capture these and you can plug into any format:

  • Reviewer name or handle
  • Date of the review
  • Title of the review; if none, use a bracketed description
  • Bracketed note naming the work reviewed, including the creator
  • Source where the review appears: journal, newspaper, magazine, website, or platform
  • Locator: volume/issue and pages, or just a URL/DOI

With those in hand, you can format for APA, MLA, Chicago, AMA, or Harvard without chasing new rules each time.

How To Reference A Review (APA, MLA, Chicago)

Below you will see quick, copy-ready patterns for the three styles most writers use. The style names differ, but the logic is steady: reviewer, date, title, bracketed description, source, locator.

APA 7th: Reviews In Journals, Newspapers, And Sites

Pattern for a journal review: Reviewer, A. A. (Year). Title of review. [Review of the book Title, by B. B. Author]. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx

Pattern for a newspaper or web review: Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the film Title, by Director Name]. Site or Newspaper. URL

In-text: (Reviewer, Year) or Reviewer (Year)

APA asks for a clear description in brackets that names the work and its creator. For media items, that bracket can say Review of the film, Review of the TV series, or similar. If the review lacks its own title, use the bracketed description as the title position.

You can cross-check patterns on the official APA Style reference examples.

Sample (journal): Schatz, B. R. (2000). Learning by text or context? [Review of the book The Social Life of Information, by J. S. Brown & P. Duguid]. Science, 290(5495), 1304. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx

MLA 9th: Reviews Online And In Print

Core format: Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” [Review of Work, by Creator]. Container, Day Month Year, URL or page range.

MLA places the bracketed note right after the review title. If the review has no title, write: Review of Work, by Creator, as the title field. In-text uses the reviewer’s surname and page or paragraph where handy.

For edge cases such as performance reviews, see this clear guidance from the MLA Style Center on performance reviews.

Sample (web): Mackin, Joseph. “Crossing Lines of Taste.” [Review of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs]. The Millions, 23 May 2011, https://www.themillions.com/xxxx.

Edge Cases By Medium

Not every review looks the same. Media types change labels, but the bracketed note keeps readers on track. Use plain labels and name the creator.

Films, TV, And Video

Write Review of the film or Review of the TV series in the bracket, then give the director or showrunner. For episodes, add the episode title.

Albums And Songs

Use Review of the album or Review of the song, then list the performer or band. If the review is about a reissue, add the year tag in the bracket.

Games

Write Review of the video game and include the studio. If the review is about a patch or season, add that term inside the bracket.

Exhibitions And Performances

Write Review of the exhibition or Review of the performance, then name the venue and city when the style allows location details.

Print Vs Online: What Changes

  • Print only: give page range; no URL.
  • Online only: give a DOI if present; if no DOI, give a stable URL.
  • Dates: newspaper and web reviews often include day and month; journals use year and issue data.

No Author, No Date, Or No Title

  • No author: start the entry with the title or the bracketed description. In text, cite a short title.
  • No date: write n.d. in APA; omit in MLA; in Chicago AD, use n.d.
  • No title: use the bracketed note in the title slot and keep the brackets.
  • Missing pages: online pieces often have no pages; that is fine. Use the URL or DOI.

Mini Workflow That Saves Time

  1. Copy the reviewer name, date, and the review title from the page.
  2. Write a short bracket that names the work and its creator.
  3. Grab the source name, plus volume/issue and pages if this is a journal.
  4. Add a DOI or a live URL.
  5. Drop those fields into the style template you need.
  6. Match the in-text cue to the entry you just built.

This tiny checklist prevents the usual gaps that lead to weak citations.

More Samples You Can Adapt

APA, newspaper: Scott, A. O. (2019, October 4). Star turns and a tangled plot. [Review of the film Joker, by Todd Phillips]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/xxxx

MLA, journal: Doe, Jane. “A Lean Portrait Of A Band In Flux.” [Review of Ghosts On Tape, by The Jackets]. Rock Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, 2023, pp. 77-79.

Chicago: Notes-Bibliography And Author-Date

Notes-Bibliography (footnote): 1. Reviewer First Last, “Title of Review,” review of Work, by Creator, Periodical, Month Day, Year, URL.

Bibliography: Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Work, by Creator. Periodical, Month Day, Year. URL.

Author-Date (reference list): Reviewer Last, First. Year. “Title of Review.” Review of Work, by Creator. Periodical, Month Day. URL.

Chicago gives both routes. Pick one system and keep it consistent. Its quick guides show live models for both systems.

AMA And Harvard: Quick Notes

AMA 11th uses numbered superscripts in the text and a numbered reference list. A review in a journal follows the journal-article pattern, with a bracketed note if needed; include the DOI when available and a URL if not. Many campus guides provide short AMA models.

Harvard places the year right after the reviewer’s name and tends to mirror the journal or web article pattern. Add a square-bracket note naming the work reviewed right after the title if the context is unclear.

Citing User Reviews (Amazon, Goodreads, App Stores)

User reviews are cited like web comments: handle or name, date, the word “Review” in square brackets, platform, and a live URL. If the platform shows only a screen name, keep it as written. If there is no title, the bracketed description sits in the title spot.

Example: Rivera, K. (2024, July 2). [Review of Noise-Cancel 500 Headphones]. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/xxxx

In-Text Citation Patterns Across Styles

  • APA: (Rivera, 2024) or Rivera (2024).
  • MLA: (Rivera) and add a locator when your source has one.
  • Chicago NB: use a footnote. Include reviewer, “title,” review of Work, and the source.
  • Chicago Author-Date: (Rivera 2024).
  • AMA: a superscript number that points to the reference list.

Quoting a line from the review? Add the page or paragraph marker the style prefers.

Formatting Tips And Common Snags

  • Untitled reviews: move the bracketed description into the title slot.
  • Who counts as the author? The reviewer does. The author or director of the work belongs inside the bracketed note.
  • Group reviewers: write the group as the author when the review lists only an organization.
  • DOI vs URL: pick the DOI when it exists. If there is no DOI, use a stable URL.
  • Reference list order: sort by the reviewer’s last name. If a screen name starts with a symbol, alphabetize by the first letter or number.

Style Cheat Sheet

Style In-Text Pattern Reference Entry Sketch
APA (Reviewer, Year) Reviewer. (Year). Title. [Review of Work, by Creator]. Source. DOI/URL
MLA (Reviewer) Reviewer. “Title.” [Review of Work, by Creator]. Container, Day Month Year, URL.
Chicago NB Footnote Reviewer, “Title,” review of Work, by Creator, Source, date, URL.

Final Checks Before You Publish

Read the entry aloud once. Names, dates, italics, and bracketed notes should match your source. Check that every in-text cue maps to a full entry. Confirm that the URL or DOI opens cleanly. Do a quick scan for typos now.