Read, the article to be reviewed. As you read the article, have a pen and notebook to jot down your thoughts. Ask yourself some questions that will act as the base for your review. According to the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, some of the questions that you can ask yourself are: What is the idea behind the book or article? Does the content compare with the topic of the article? Does the author give evidence for his argument? Consider the author, what is her authority in the matter?
Develop a thesis for your review. This is the main idea of the review. In thesis development, consider the desired end result. Are the readers more interested in the article author's work or is it a quest for your opinion?
Start with an introduction that gives a background to the work. Give the title of the article, the author and the date of its publication. Also include the context you are using to write your review. For instance, you may review an article on immigration policies in America in relation to the war on terrorism or the socio-economic status of the immigrants' home countries.
Write a short summary of the content of the article under review. Give a brief description of the article. The length of the summary is mainly dictated upon by the whole length of the essay. As a general guideline the summary should not take more than half the length of the paper. Jim Robinson, a mentor at the Empire State College in New York, said you should ideally divide your essay into three parts the summary, interpretation and a conclusion. Get the main points of the article and put them in this section.
Detail your reaction to the article. Divide this part into paragraphs that deal with different aspects. The Writing Center says that you do not have to follow a chronological order of the aspects as they occur in the item under review. You can give comparison to other similar literature. Avoid including quotations. When you quote ensure that you reference the page of the quote.
Write the conclusion which is an inclusion of the summary and the evaluation. Robinson said that you should show a brief comparison between the author's work and your interpretation of it. Do not include any new evidence. Summarize the article's strengths and weaknesses.