How to write a review article

1. Check the journal’s aims and scope

   • Ensure you have read the aims and scope of the International Educational Review before starting your writing.

2. Define your scope

   • Clearly define the scope of your review article and the research question you aim to answer, ensuring your article contributes new insights to the field.

3. Finding sources to evaluate

   • Utilize multiple search engines/databases to find sources for evaluation, ensuring no significant studies are overlooked.

4. Writing your title, abstract, and keywords

   • Invest time in crafting an effective title, abstract, and keywords to enhance the online visibility of your article, ensuring it reaches the intended audience. Your title and abstract should be clear, concise, accurate, and informative.

5. Introduce the topic

   • Begin with a comprehensive overview of the topic, providing context and explaining the necessity of reviewing this topic. Make your introduction broad enough to engage a wide audience, including non-specialists, to maximize its relevance and impact. Keep the introduction concise, dividing the review into sections of suitable length for easier identification of key points.

6. Include critical discussion

   • Present a critical analysis of the literature, not merely a descriptive summary. Address contradictory research in your area of focus by including a balanced debate and presenting all perspectives. Your review can serve as a platform to resolve conflicts between contradictory studies.

7. Sum it up

   • Conclude by suggesting directions for future research on the topic. Aim to communicate your understanding of the topic and identify remaining questions.

8. Use a critical friend

   • Conduct a final spell and grammar check of your article before submission. Consider seeking feedback from a colleague or using a language polishing service, especially if English is not your first language.

Difference between a research article and a review article:

• Research Article: Presents the author's viewpoint, introduces new content, length varies based on the journal's requirements.
• Review Article: Critiques other authors' viewpoints on a particular topic, assesses already published content, tends to be shorter than research articles but must still adhere to word limits.

Before you submit your review article…

Ensure you've addressed all items on the checklist: journal’s aims and scope review, article scope definition, comprehensive source evaluation, effective title and abstract crafting, topic overview inclusion, critical discussion presentation, future research suggestions, and a final grammar check with feedback from a friend or colleague.