Use a clear structure with a summary, critique, and reference list, formatted in the citation style your instructor or journal requires.
An article review shows how well you grasp a source and how well you judge it. You’re not only retelling the author’s points. You’re weighing claims, methods, and relevance, then writing a balanced take that readers can trust. The right format keeps that judgment easy to follow.
Formatting An Article Review For Class And Journals
Most reviews follow the same backbone: front matter, a focused summary, a reasoned evaluation, and clean citations. Your assignment, journal, or field might ask for small tweaks, but the core parts below cover what readers expect.
| Section | Purpose | What To Include |
|---|---|---|
| Header & Title | Signal topic and scope | Concise title naming the article; your name and course or affiliation if required |
| Source Details | Let readers identify the work | Full citation of the article in APA, MLA, or Chicago style |
| Abstract (If Asked) | Give a fast preview | One short paragraph stating the article’s aim, key points, and your main judgment |
| Introduction | Set context and claim | Topic background, author credentials, journal context, and your thesis on the article’s merit |
| Summary | Show understanding | Core question, approach, findings or argument, and limits noted by the author |
| Critique | Judge quality and rigor | Strengths, gaps, logic checks, method issues, sample limits, bias, and clarity of evidence |
| Comparison | Place it in the field | How it aligns or conflicts with related studies or theories you cite |
| Implications | Explain why it matters | Practical or scholarly uses, who benefits, where it falls short |
| Recommendations | Guide next steps | What to read next, fixes for method or reporting, ideas for new studies |
| Conclusion | Close the case | One tight paragraph restating your judgment and why |
| References | Credit sources | Formatted list matching your in-text citations |
Pick a citation style and stick to it from top to bottom. For APA page setup and headings, the APA student paper setup guide outlines margins, fonts, line spacing, and section order. For MLA entries, the MLA Works Cited quick guide shows the core elements used to build references. If your class or editor prefers notes and a bibliography, the Chicago citation quick guide outlines both Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date patterns. Line spacing, title page rules, and page numbers vary by style, so match the guide you’re using and keep it consistent across the whole paper.
Title pages differ by style. APA student papers place the title, author, affiliation, course, instructor, and date in a set order, each double spaced. MLA usually skips a separate title page and places a block heading on page one with your name, instructor, course, and date, then the title centered above the text. Chicago can use a separate title page with the title centered a third down the page. These small layout choices signal that you know the rules your audience expects.
In-text pointers differ too. APA places the year with the name because readers in those fields track findings by date. MLA leans on page numbers because literature and the humanities cite passages closely. Chicago gives you a choice: notes let you add commentary and source details without crowding the prose, while Author-Date looks closer to APA. Pick the system that fits your task or matches the venue.
How To Format A Review Of An Article: Step-By-Step
Set Up The Page
Use a standard font such as 12-pt Times New Roman or 11-pt Arial, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Add a running head only if your style calls for it. Indent new paragraphs by half an inch. Number pages in the top right unless your style places them elsewhere.
Follow your assigned style for headings. APA uses Levels 1–5. MLA keeps a simple heading system and relies on clear section titles. Chicago may use either titled sections or untitled narrative flow with notes.
Write The Header And Title
Center the title. Keep it informative and tight: name the article, the author, and a cue that this is a review. Avoid jokes, puns, or clickbait. If a subtitle helps signal scope or method, add one after a colon.
If your course or journal needs a cover page, include your name, affiliation or course, instructor, and date. Student APA pages differ from professional ones; check the APA page rules for line order and spacing.
Open With Source Details
One APA pattern looks like this: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxx. An MLA entry follows: Author Lastname, Firstname. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. xx, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. Chicago NB begins with a numbered footnote, then a matching bibliography entry. Keep italics, commas, and capitalization exactly as the style shows.
State the full citation before your first paragraph or in the first paragraph. Match your style guide. An APA entry uses author, year, article title, journal title, volume(issue), page range, and DOI. MLA uses the template of core elements, including author, title of source, title of container, and location. Chicago notes use a footnote the first time, then a short form later.
If you quote, add an in-text citation or a note with the exact page. Paraphrases need credit too. Keep every in-text pointer paired with one entry on your reference list or bibliography.
Draft A Focused Introduction
Start with the topic the article tackles and why readers care. Name the author and journal, then state your thesis on the article’s strength with two or three reasons you’ll develop next.
Write A Lean Summary
For empirical studies, note design, participants, data, and instruments. For qualitative work, name the setting, sample, and lens. For theory pieces, state the main claim or model and the supporting logic.
Summarize the question, approach, and main takeaways. Keep this section neutral and short; you’re proving you read closely, not repeating every paragraph. Quote only where wording carries unique weight, such as a definition or a claim you’ll test in the critique.
Build The Critique
Organize your evaluation into subsections so readers can scan. One path is Strengths then Limits; another is Method, Evidence, Reasoning, and Reporting. Use topic sentences that state a judgment first, then back it with examples or citations.
Method And Design
Check whether the design suits the research question. For empirical work, look at sampling, measures, and controls. For theory pieces, judge the clarity of concepts and how they draw on prior work. Flag missing data, weak instruments, or circular logic.
Evidence And Analysis
Watch effect sizes, intervals, or model fit, not just p-values. Check assumptions. Flag results that go unmentioned or claims built on thin subgroups, and give credit where the work advances understanding.
Clarity And Structure
Note whether sections follow a sensible order. Look for clear transitions, defined terms, and a readable flow. Point out jargon that blocks understanding or long quotes that add little.
Contribution And Use
Explain who benefits from the article and where it moves the conversation. Tie your points to current debates or practical needs. If the piece misses key sources, cite them and say why they matter.
Synthesis And Implications
Bridge your critique to a wider view. Connect the article to two or three related sources and show agreement or tension. Spell out what a scholar, teacher, manager, or clinician could do differently after reading your review.
Recommendations
Offer fixes that match the issues you raised. Suggest tighter questions, stronger measures, richer samples, or clearer reporting. Propose next studies that would test the claims or extend them to new settings.
References And In-Text Citations
For the reference list, check author order, year, title case, and punctuation. Use DOIs as active links when they exist. If a DOI is missing, include a stable URL only when the style allows it. Sort APA and Chicago entries by author and year; MLA sorts by author and title. Use a hanging indent and single spacing within entries, double spacing between entries unless your style says otherwise.
Build the list with your chosen style. APA needs a hanging indent and DOIs as links where available. MLA lists entries with the core elements in set order. Chicago may use a full bibliography after notes. Cross-check every entry against the in-text markers.
Citation Styles For An Article Review
Here’s a quick cheat sheet for the three styles used most often. Use these as patterns, then verify details in the official guides linked above.
| Style | In-Text Or Note | Reference List Basics |
|---|---|---|
| APA | (Author, Year, p. X) for quotes; (Author, Year) for paraphrase | Author. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx |
| MLA | (Author page) for both quotes and paraphrase | Author. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. xx, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. |
| Chicago NB | Footnote: Author, “Title,” Journal volume, no. x (Year): pages. | Author. “Article Title.” Journal Title volume, no. x (Year): pages. |
Formatting Tips That Raise Clarity
Headings guide skimming. Make them parallel: nouns with nouns, questions with questions. Keep sentences tight. Replace wordy phrases with crisp verbs. Where readers need a map, add a one-sentence preview at the end of the introduction that names the sections to come.
Use parallel headings so readers know where they are at a glance. Keep paragraphs short and purposeful. Where a list helps, use bullets. Where numbers help, use a table or figure and mention it in the text. Define acronyms on first use. Keep quotes brief and precise. Use active voice for judgments: “The sample skews small,” not “It was thought that the sample was small.”
Mind tense. Use present tense for claims that still hold and past tense for what the author did. Vary verbs to keep a smooth tone: argue, claim, report, test, show, estimate, conclude. Avoid hedging every line; pick clear stances based on evidence.
Common Errors To Avoid
Over-claiming. Treat exploratory findings as exploratory. Don’t present a correlation as proof of cause. Mark generalizations that stretch beyond the sample.
Over-summary. Pages of retelling crowd out analysis. Cap the summary and move on to evaluation.
Style drift. Mixing APA in the text with MLA on the list confuses readers. Pick one style and keep it through headings, citations, and references.
Vague judgments. Words like “good” or “bad” without reasons don’t help. Tie each judgment to criteria and examples.
Quote dumps. Long block quotes break the flow. Quote when wording matters and paraphrase the rest with citations.
Missing page numbers. When you quote, include location info. Notes or parenthetical pages save readers time.
Unlabeled visuals. Every table or figure needs a number, a title, and a note if you adapt data.
Reference mismatches. Every in-text item must appear on the list, and every list item must appear in the text.
Final Checks Before Submission
Build a quick workflow to keep you on track: read once for gist, again for details, and a third time to annotate structure. Draft the summary from your notes without looking at the text to avoid patchwriting. Then draft the critique sections with your notes open. Save references for last so you don’t interrupt the flow of writing.
Run a format pass line by line: margins, font, spacing, page numbers, heading levels, and title case. Scan citations for punctuation, italics, and capitalization rules for titles. Test all DOIs and URLs. Read your topic sentences in order; they should tell the whole story. Then read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to check flow. Fix repetition. Trim filler words.
Ask a peer to read with two questions in mind: What’s the article about, and what’s your judgment of it? If they can answer both without scanning the whole piece, your format and structure are pulling their weight.
Short Template You Can Copy
Title: Review of “Article Title” by Author Name
Source Details: Full citation here in your chosen style
Abstract (If Asked): One paragraph stating the aim, method, key takeaways, and your overall judgment
Introduction: Context, author, journal, and your thesis on the article’s merit
Summary: Research question, approach, main findings or claims
Critique:
- Method and design
- Evidence and analysis
- Clarity and structure
- Contribution and use
Synthesis And Implications: Where it fits in the field and why readers should care
Recommendations: Fixes and next studies
Conclusion: One paragraph restating your judgment and the reasons
References: Full list in the chosen style