academic review

• Academic reviews


  Critical evaluations and analyses of scholarly works, including books, articles, films, artworks, performances, or other creative endeavors
• Academic reviews


  • Aim to assess the quality, significance, and contribution of a work to its respective field or discipline
  • Provide readers with informed opinions, interpretations, and judgments about the strengths, weaknesses, and overall value of the work being reviewed
• Common problems with academic reviews

  • A review is not a research paper
  • A review is not a summary
  • A review is not an off-the-cuff, unfair personal response
• Importance of academic reviews

  • Evaluation and critique
  • quality assurance
  • intellectual engagement
  • knowledge dissemination
  • promotion and recognition
  • cultural and historical documentation
  • encouragement and improvement
• Approaches to reading and notetaking

  • Pre-reading
  • Reverse outline
  • Double-entry notebook
• Pre-reading


  Helps a reader to see a book as a whole. Often, the acknowledgments, preface, and table of contents of a book offer insights about the book's purpose and direction
• Reverse outline


  Helps a reader analyze the content and argument of a work of non-fiction
• Double-entry notebook


  Separates a page into two columns. In one column, you make observations about the work. In the other column, you note your responses to the work
• Organizing and writing the review

  • Introduction
  • Summary of the work
  • Analysis and evaluation
  • Conclusion and recommendation
• • Evaluation and Critique - they offer critical analysis and interpretation of the content, arguments, evidence, and methodology of a work, helping readers assess its strengths and weaknesses.
• 1. Quality Assurance - Academic reviews serve as a form of quality assurance within scholarly communities, ensuring that only rigorous and well-researched works are recognized and promoted.
• 1. Intellectual Engagement - Academic reviews stimulate intellectual engagement and dialogue within academic fields and disciplines.
• 1. Knowledge Dissemination - Academic reviews facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and information within scholarly communities and beyond.
• • Promotion and Recognition Academic reviews contribute to the promotion and recognition of scholarly works and authors.
• 1. Cultural and Historical Documentation - Academic reviews document the cultural and historical significance of scholarly works within their respective contexts.
• 1. Encouragement and Improvement - Academic reviews provide feedback and constructive criticism to authors, encouraging them to reflect on their work and strive for improvement.