GH200 Final

Basic article review writing rules

Summarize and write a review of a scientific journal article.

Be sure to read and understand your chosen article well. Reading is as much of an art as writing. Your first read throughshould be a quick sweeping job, noticing major themes and salient points. Read the article from start to finish in the second round. Highlight and mark as appropriate in the third reading.There are no set rules as to how many times are “enough.” You can read it as many times as you like or find necessary. You cannot analyze and summarize something you do not understand well enough.

1. 1.Read the abstract. The abstract will tell you the major findings of the article and why they matter.  2. 2.Read first for the “big picture.”  3. Note any terms or techniques you need to define. 4. Pay close attention to the “Materials and Methods”5. Read the “Materials and Methods” and “Results” sections multiple times:  ➢ Carefully examine the graphs, tables, and diagrams. ➢ Try to interpret the data first before reading the captions and details. ➢ Make sure you understand the article fully.  6. Before you begin the first draft of your summary:  ➢ Try to describe the article in your own words first. ➢ Try to distill the article down to its “scientific essence.” ➢ Include all the key points and be accurate. ➢ A reader who has not read the original article should be able to understand your summary.  

7. Write a draft of your summary:

➢ Do not look at the article while writing, to make it easier to put the information in your own words  ➢ Refer back to the article later for details and facts.  ➢ Ask yourself questions as you write:  • What is the purpose of the study? • What questions were asked? • How did the study address these questions? • What assumptions did the author make?  • What were the major findings? • What surprised you or struck you as interesting?  • What questions are still unanswered?

8. Write your review:

A. Name of Author and Title of the Article: Your review must start with reference to the article.

Include the name of the author.

B. Introduction: Informs the reader that you intend to review an article. Tell the reader the reason

why you selected that particular article to review. The purpose of the introduction paragraph is to prepare the reader for what is to follow in your review.

C. Purpose: Make an effort to cover the following points. It may require more than one paragraph to cover them. State the overall purpose of the article. What was the main theme of the article?

What new ideas or information were communicated in the article? Why was it important to

perform this research and publish these ideas?

D. Methodology: Writing about the research “Materials and Methods”. What methods did the authors use to reach conclusions? If this is an experiment or survey, how were the data collected and analyzed? Who were the subjects? Briefly describe the research methodology.

E. Results: What were the basic results or findings from the research?F. Discussion and Conclusion: Briefly informs the reader what you wrote about in your review and

your overall findings.

Other Considerations

• Not more than 500 words• Use single spacing.• Use 12 pitch font.• Indent your paragraphs.• Left justify the text.