This document provides guidance on writing a review paper. It explains that a review paper synthesizes and interprets published work on a specific topic to produce a coherent argument or description. The document outlines the typical sections of a review paper, including an introduction that provides background and establishes relevance and thesis, a body that analyzes and synthesizes evidence from primary sources to support the thesis rather than just summarizing, and a conclusion that restates key points and significance. It also lists examples of publications containing review papers and elements that should be included in each section.

1. WRITING
A REVIEW
PAPER

2. REVIEW PAPER
a succinct review of a specific
topic that provide sufficient
and in-depth
interpretation and synthesis of
published work.

3. A Review Paper is NOT
a…
Term Paper
Book Report
Report

4. Instead, a review paper
synthesizes the results from
several primary literature papers
to produce a coherent argument
about a topic or focused
description of a field.

5. Examples of Reviews can be found in:
1. Scientific American
2. Science in the “Perspectives” and “Reviews” sections
3. Nature in the “News and Views” section
4. Compilation of reviews such as:
a. Current Opinion in Cell Biology
b. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
c. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology
d. Annual Review of Physiology
e. Trends in Ecology & Evolution

6. Remember:
You should read articles from one or more of
these sources to get examples of how your
paper should be organized.
A key aspect of a review paper is that it provides
the evidence for a particular point of view in a
field.
The emphasis of a review paper is interpreting
the primary literature on the subject.

7. PARTS OF THE REVIEW
PAPER
(each part is expected to
have the following
contents):

8. Section of the
paper
What it should contain
Introduction
&
Background
• Make it brief (-1/5 of the paper’s
total length).
• Grab the reader’s interest while
introducing the topic.
• Explain the “big picture”
relevance.
• Provide the necessary
background information.

9. Section of the
Paper
What it should contain
Body of
the
Paper
• Experimental Evidence
• Explain how these results shape our current
understanding of the topic.
• Mention the types of experiments done and
corresponding data, but do not repeat the
experimental procedure step for step.
• Point out and address any controversies in the
field.
• Use figures and/or tables to present your own
synthesis of the original data or to show key
taken directly from the original papers.

10. Section of the paper What it should contain
Conclusion • Succinctly summarize
major points.
• Point out the significance
of these results.
• Discuss the questions that
remain in the area.
• Keep it brief.

11. Section of the paper What it should contain
Literature Cited • There must be a
minimum number of
references that must be
use and cite in your
paper. Typically, at least
8-10 references are
required.

12. ELEMENTS OF A
REVIEW PAPER

13. 1. Title Page
Includes the title, your name, and the
date. Your instructor may have additional
requirements (such as the course number,
etc.) so be sure to follow the guidelines
on the assignment sheet. Professional
journals may also have more specific
requirements for the title page.

14. 2. Abstract
An abstract is a brief
summary of your review.
The abstract should include
only the main points of your
review.

15. 3. Introduction
The introduction of your review should
accomplish three things:
a. Introduce the topic – let the reader in on
background information specific to the
topic, define terms that may be unfamiliar
to them, explain the scope of the
discussion, and your purpose for writing
the review.

16. b. State the Topic’s Relevance – Think of your
review paper as a statement in a larger
conversation of your academic community. It is
important to briefly address why your review is
relevant to the discussion.
c. Reveal your thesis to the reader – The thesis is
your main idea that you want to get across to
reader, your thesis should be a clear statement of
what you intend to prove or illustrate by your
review.

17. 4. Discussion (the body of your paper)
The discussion section contains
information that develops and supports
your thesis. While there is no particular
form that a discussion section must take
there are several considerations that a
writer must follow when building a
discussion.

18. 5. Don’t Summarize!
Synthesize the material from all
the works, what are the
connections you see, or the
connections you are trying to
illustrate, among your readings.

19. 6. Analyze, Synthesize, Interpret.
It is not enough to simply present the
material you have found, you must go
beyond that and explain its relevance and
significance to the at hand. Establish a
clear thesis from the onset of your writing
and examine which pieces of your reading
help you in developing and supporting the
ideas in your thesis.

20. 7. Stay focused.
Keep your discussion focused on your
topic and more importantly your thesis.
Don’t let tangents or extraneous
material get in the way of a concise,
coherent discussion. A well focused
paper is crucial in getting your message
across to your reader.

21. 8. Organize your points.
Start each paragraph with a topic
sentence that relates back to your thesis.
The headings used for this guide give you
some idea of how to organize the overall
paper, but as fair as the discussion section
goes use meaningful subheadings that
relate to your content to organize your
points.

22. 9. Relate the discussion to your
thesis.
Your thesis should illustrate your objectives in
writing the review and your discussion should
serve to accomplish your objectives. If you
think that your discussion does not relate so
much to your thesis, don’t panic, you might
want to revise your thesis instead of
reworking the discussion.

23. 10. Conclusion
A good conclusion should illustrate the key
connections between your major points and
your thesis as well as the key connections
between your thesis and the broader
discussion ̶ what is the significance of your paper in
a larger context? Make some conclusions ̶ where
have you arrived as a result of writing this paper? Be
careful not to present new information in this
section.