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A journal article review is written for a reader who is knowledgeable in the discipline and is interested not just in the coverage and content of the article being reviewed, but also in your critical assessment of the ideas and argument that are being presented by the author.
Your review might be guided by the following questions:
| Attribute | Question |
|---|---|
| Objectives | What does the article set out to do? |
| Theory | Is there an explicit theoretical framework? If not, are there important theoretical assumptions? |
| Concepts | What are the central concepts? Are they clearly defined? |
| Argument | What is the central argument? Are there specific hypotheses? |
| Method | What methods are employed to test these? |
| Evidence | Is evidence provided? How adequate is it? |
| Values | Are value positions clear or are they implicit? |
| Literature | How does the work fit into the wider literature? |
| Contribution | How well does the work advance our knowledge of the subject? |
| Style | How clear is the author's language/style/expression? |
| Conclusion | A brief overall assessment. |
Additional Resources
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How to Review a Journal Article (from University of Illinois Springfield)
Writing Critical Reviews (from Queen's University Library)