Are you new to academia? Do you not know how to write a review paper? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you have come to the right place. Writing a review article or paper is a very challenging academic task. It takes a lot of time and energy to read the literature and then craft a paper based on that information. However, in today’s article, we will unpack the writing guidelines for composing an effective review paper. Before that, let’s explain what this paper is and why it is important to craft it.
What is a review paper?
A review paper, also known as a review article, is a thorough examination of the research work published in your field of study. It is also called a literature review paper, where you only discuss the advancements in your field of study with each passing day. It provides an overview of the current knowledge on a particular topic in chronological order. So, this is what a review article means. But why writing this paper is important? A brief description of the points highlighting their importance is as follows:
- Writing a review paper is important because it helps you evaluate the existing research data and results related to your field.
- Review papers help the researchers identify the existing research gaps so that they know the potential area to research.
- Writing a review article provides novelty and clarity about the research field.
A step-by-step guide to writing a great review paper
After reading the information above, you know what a review paper is and its importance in academic writing. However, the main topic of today’s discussion is knowing the steps that are involved in its writing. Hence, a brief description of all the steps is as follows:
1. Select a suitable topic
The first step in writing an excellent review paper is undoubtedly selecting a good topic. Topic selection is also known as defining the scope of your review article. Defining the scope is important so that the paper is manageable. The scope of your research should not be too long and not too small. If your field of study is well established and has too much to add, then it is enough to shed some light on recent developments.
2. Find sources to evaluate
The next step in writing a good review paper is to find the sources based on which you can evaluate the research field. When doing this, it is important that you explore multiple data sources and research databases to know what is currently hot in your field of study. To find studies in your field, make sure that you explore journals that only publish review papers. It is very easy to evaluate the studies done on your subject this way. However, if you cannot find good data sources, go and visit the website of a research paper help online.
3. Write the abstract and keywords
After performing the above step, you now have enough information to start writing the review paper. So, start with the abstract. The abstract is the short summary of your paper that explains what you have reviewed, how you have done it, and what you have achieved. As the writer, you must spend some good time writing the abstract and including the keywords.
4. Introduce the selected topic
Does a review paper require writing an introduction? Yes, always. A review article has its own introduction where you describe the selected topic. In this section, you describe why analysing the topic is necessary and also set the context of the research study. You can go broad when writing the introduction because most of the audience is non-specialist.
5. Discuss the topic critically
Analysing the research field and discussing the developments critically is the essence of a review paper. Many students just rely on describing recent developments. It is a very wrong strategy. The review article does not demand a descriptive summary of the recent investigations. Instead, it asks you to evaluate and discuss them critically. If there is a contradicting element in your field of study, make sure to debate on that topic and present arguments from both sides.
Conclusion
Writing a review paper is undoubtedly the most daunting task. It is because this paper requires tons of information and reading dozens of research papers published in your research field. However, by following all the guidelines mentioned above, we guarantee that your paper will be excellent and of top quality.