Writing review articles

Abstract

As the quantity of scientific literature grows to a scale where no-one can read more than a fraction of it, review articles have become increasingly valuable. Such articles précis and evaluate the literature, answer important questions and draw conclusions from a vast array of available literature. The synthesis of results from several primary literature sources should produce a coherent article based on cogent arguments about the topic or a focused description of the field. 1 www.uwlax.edu/biology/communication/ReviewPapers.html Google Scholar In addition review articles often point to areas where new research could be usefully undertaken. The format of such articles is variable and the subheadings used generally represent the sequence determined by the subject under review. Bearing in mind the above, if considering writing a review article, it must be remembered that a review article is not merely a report on some references that the “would be” author has found.