This presentation gives an insight of what is a review paper, Purpose & Objective, functions of Review Articles, Difference between Research and Review Articles, Types of Review Articles Key points to write Review Article, Writing a Scientific Literature Review, Parts of review paper, elements of a review paper, how to write different sections of a review article

1. What it needs to write
a Good Review Paper?
Dr. Murugananth Gopal Raj
Professor & Head,
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

2. Contents
 What is a Review Paper?
 Purpose & Objective
 Function of Review Articles
 Difference between Research and Review Articles
 Types of Review Articles
 Key points to write Review Article
 Writing a Scientific Literature Review

3. What is a Review Paper?
Survey of previously published research on the topic
Summarizes current state of knowledge of the topic
Creates an understanding of the topic for the reader by
discussing the findings presented in recent research papers.
Synthesizes results from several primary literature and produce
a coherent argument about the topic

4. A critical, constructive analysis of the literature in a specific field
through summary, classification, analysis, comparison
A scientific text relying on previously published literature or data. New
data from the author’s experiments are not presented
A stand-alone publication
Review Paper

5. Purpose & Objective
Purpose – review
recent progress
in a particular
topic
Objective – Provide
critical evaluation of
available data

6. What Review Articles Do?
Identify potential research areas & explore what could be done next & may draw
conclusions form existing data
Provide a comprehensive foundation on a topic
Explain the current state of knowledge
Identify gaps in existing studies for potential future research
Highlight the main methodologies and research techniques

7. Function of Review Articles
Organize Literature
Evaluate literature
Identify patterns and trends in literature
Synthesize literature
Identify research gaps and recommend new
research areas

8. Audience of Review Articles
 Experts in scientific research
areas
 Students or novice researchers
 Decision-makers

9. Difference between Research article & Review Article
Research Article Review Article
View
Point
Presents the viewpoint of
the author
Critiques the viewpoint of other
authors on a particular topic
Content New Content Assessing already published
content
Length Depends on the word
limit provided by the
journal you submit to
Tends to be shorter than a
research article, but will still
need to adhere to word limits

11. Methodological
Approach
Narrative Best evidence Systematic
Narrative
Selected studies are compared and summarized on the basis of the author’s experience,
existing theories and models.
Results are based on a qualitative rather than a quantitative level
Best Evidence
A focus on selected studies is combined with systematic methods of study-selection and
result exploration
Systematic
Findings from various individual studies are analyzed statistically by strict procedures.
Meta-Analyses are used to pool the results of individual studies
Methodological Approach

12. Objective Review
Status Quo
Presentation of the most current research for a given topic or field of research
History
Development of a field of research over time
Issue
Investigation of an issue (i.e. a point of disagreement or a question) in a specific field of
research
Theory / Model
Introduction of a new theory or model in a specific field of research

13. Mandate reviews
Invited Reviews
Experienced researchers are invited
Commissioned Reviews
Formal contracts of authors with clients
Unsolicited Reviews
Researchers develop an idea for a review and submit it to journal editors

14. 1.Check the journal's aim and scope
2.Define your scope
3.Finding sources to evaluate
4.Writing your title, abstract and
keywords
5.Introduce the topic
6.Include critical discussion
7.Summarize
8.Use a critical friend
Key points to write a review article

15. Journal’s
 Read the aim and scope of the journal to which the article is being
submitted
 Understand the aim, scope and follow it closely
 Few journals may not accept review articles – check it before starting to
write

16. Define the scope of your review article and the
research question you’ll be answering, making
sure your article contributes something new to
the field
Define the scope of your
review so that it is
manageable, not too large or
small; it may be necessary to
focus on recent advances if
the field is well established
Angus Crake
– Award
Wining
Author
Define Your scope

17. Define Your scope
In a systematic review on a focused
question, methods of investigation used
should be clearly specified.
Use multiple search
engines/databases so
you don’t miss any
important one
Angus
Crake
Find sources to evaluate

18.  Spend time writing an effective title, abstract and keywords
 Title and abstract should be clear, concise, accurate, and
informative
 Effective title, abstract & keyword
 Will maximize the visibility of article online
 Ensure the right readers to find your research
Title, abstract & keywords

19.  Start with an overview of the topic
 Give some context
 Explaining why a review of the topic is necessary
 Gather research to inform your introduction
 Make it broad enough to reach out to a large audience of non-specialists
 This will help maximize its wider relevance and impact
 Don’t make your introduction too long
 Divide the review into sections of a suitable length to allow key points
to be identified more easily
Introducing the topic

20. Critical Discussion
 Make sure you present a critical discussion,
not just a descriptive summary of the topic.
 If there is contradictory research in your area
of focus, make sure to include an element of
debate and present both sides of the
argument
 You can also use your review paper to resolve
conflict between contradictory studies

21. Critical Discussion
Angus Crake
“Once you have the core review section written, take a step
back and look for common trends that emerge.
Highlight key advances that have been made and areas
where more focused research may lead to high impact.
These are crucial to show where the field is heading, and
any common pitfalls people have struggled with.”

22. Summarize
 Recapitulate the key points of various researchers
 Point out the gaps identified and various approaches to the
problem
 Suggest scope for future work

23. Deepak
Bhattacharya
“You should aim to write a
review that leaves a clear
impression of what is ‘well
understood’, and what still
remains a ‘mystery’ to be
solved.”
Summarize

24.  Last check – perform grammar and spell check before submission
 Critical friends – comment their feedback on your article
 If you feel that language its not good, then polish it
Critical Friend

25. Journal’s aims and scope – Checked?
Scope of your article - Defined?
Evaluated Sources – using multiple search engines?
Title, Abstract & keywords are prompt?
Overview of the topic - available?
Included future suggestions?
Spelling & grammar corrections included?

26. Good literature review – ability to tell a story
 Tips to be followed:
 Introduce the topic
 Take the reader on journey
 Don’t deviate
 Don’t take the reader for granted – start
from the basics
 Gradually unravel the intricacies
Writing a scientific literature review

27. Tips to be followed:
 Simplify the language
 Present broad picture to the reader
 Develop interesting story line
 Engage the reader
 Critically analyze the findings earlier
 Be confident
 Highlight the gaps
Fine tuning of literature review

28.  Every research article differs by
findings & interpretations
 Review papers indirectly hints
the gaps
 Review should be written to give
clear impression of “What is well
Understood?” & “What still remains
Mystery?”
Highlighting the gaps

29. Use simple
language Use
referencing
software
Get the
correct
outline
Include high
quality
images
Understand
the filed
Top tips to write review paper

30. Phases of writing literature paper

31. Pre-Writing Phase
Use multiple search engines and collect information
Be organized and use referencing software
Focus on advancements of the filed and define the scope
Introduce the topic even to a layman
Define the key points to be addressed
Divide into sections & subsections

32. Be concise, include only relevant matters & highlight key findings
Analyze critically and highlight advances made
Discuss the pros & cons of advances
Write a positive outlook, encourage & inspire for more research
Proof read it – look with fresh mind
Writing Phase

33. • Title
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Body
• Subsection 1
• Subsection 2
• ……..
• ……..
• ……..
• Subsection n
• Conclusion
• Literature cited
Elements of a Review paper

34. Function Helping readers to decide whether they should read the text or
not.
Includes terms for indexing (e.g. in data bases).
Elements The title must be informative:
• The title has to include important terms
• It has to indicate that the text is a review article
• It may include the message of the article, not just its
coverage
The title must be short:
• Keep the title concise
• A longer subtitle may be an option in case a specification is
necessary
TITLE

35. Elements The title must be informative:
• The title has to include important terms
• It has to indicate that the text is a review article
• It may include the message of the article, not just its
coverage
TITLE - EXAMPLE
Ex: A Review of Emerging Way to Enhance the Durability and Strength of Concrete
Structures: Microbial Concrete
Important
Terms
Describes the
article as
Review article
Message
Covered

36. Tense Present tense -stresses the general validity of the results
and illustrates what the author is trying to achieve with
the article
Past tense - indicates that results are not established
knowledge yet
Citation None
Length 8 to 12 Words
TITLE

37. Function Informs about the main objectives and result of the review article
(informative abstract) or indicates the text structure (descriptive abstract)
Elements Informative abstract - for systematic and best evidence reviews
1) Objectives: One or two sentences describe the context and intention of
the review.
2) Material and methods: One or a few sentences provide a general
picture of the methodological approach
3) Results: A few sentences describe main outcomes
4) Conclusions: One or two sentences present the conclusion (which is
linked to the objectives)
Descriptive abstract - for narrative reviews - Description of subjects covered
without specific details. A descriptive abstract is like a table of contents in
paragraph form
ABSTRACT

38. Informative Abstract
Subjects’ car clocks were set ten minutes fast in order to determine
if deliberately setting a clock ahead will reduce lateness. One group
of subjects knew their clocks had been set ahead, while a second
group of subjects was not informed of the change. Over a four-week
period, the subjects who were aware of the clock change regularly
arrived on time or late for their scheduled appointments. Over the
same period of time, the subjects who were unaware of the clock
change tended to arrive early or on time for their appointments.
Data suggest that intentionally setting a clock to run fast does not
reduce lateness because one accounts for that extra time in his or
her schedule.

39. Descriptive Abstract

40. ABSTRACT
Tense Descriptive Abstract - Present Tense
Informative Abstract:
Objectives – Present Tense
Materials, methods & Results – Past Tense
Conclusion – Present Tense
Citation None
Length 200 to 250 Words

41. Function Provides information about the context, indicates the
motivation for the review, defines the focus, the
research question and explains the text structure
Elements Elements of a three paragraph introduction
1) Subject background - The general topic, issue, or
area of concern is given to illustrate the context
2) “Problem” - Trends, new perspectives, gaps,
conflicts, or a single problem is indicated
3) Motivation/justification - The author’s reason for
reviewing the literature, the approach and the
organization of the text are described
INTRODUCTION

42. Concrete is most widely used construction material used all over the world and usually considered as
indestructible because of their longer service life as compared with the most constructional products.
However, they can get destroyed for a variety of reasons including the material limitations, design
gaps and construction practices, as well as exposure conditions. Continuous exposure of hard
weathering leads to an increase of the porosity of concrete and as a result, the mechanical features
decreases. It is known that the durability of concrete is related to the characteristics of its pore
structure
Subject
Background
Degradation mechanisms of concrete often depend on the way potentially aggressive substances can penetrate
into the concrete, possibly causing damage. The permeability of the concrete depends on the porosity and on
the connectivity and /or structure of the pores. The more open the pore structure of the concrete, the more
vulnerable the material is to degradation mechanisms caused by penetrating substances. The deterioration of
concrete structures usually involves movement of aggressive gases and/or liquids from the surrounding
environment into the concrete, followed by physical and/or chemical reactions within its internal structure,
possibly leading to irreversible damage.
Problem
. Although many chemical and physical treatments have been applied to decrease the susceptibility to damage, these treatments
are not fully useful because of their non reversible action and their limited long term performance.
Motivation / Justification

43. INTRODUCTION Tense Present (use past tense for the description of your
methods and your results)
Citation Many
Length Between 10% and 20% of the core text (introduction,
body, conclusions)
Note Make sure to have a narrow focus and an explicit
research question.
Indicate these two points clearly in the introduction.
Give theoretical or practical justifications for the need
for a review

44. Function Systematic and best evidence reviews have a
methods section.
This section enables motivated researches to repeat
the review.
Narrative reviews do not have a methods section but
should include some information about applied
methods at the end of the introduction.
Elements The material and methods section contains for
example information about: data sources (e.g.
bibliographic databases), search terms and search
strategies, selection criteria (inclusion/exclusion of
studies), the number of studies screened and the
number of studies included, statistical methods of
meta-analysis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS

45. Microbial Concrete
various types of Bactria
Materials
Microbiologically Induced
Calcite Precipitation (MICP)
Metabolism
Methods
Stages of MICP

46. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tense Past
Citation Few (e.g. to statistical analyses or software used)
Length Approx. 5% of the core text (introduction, body,
conclusions)
Note Make sure that data sources are clearly identified.
Precision has first priority in the material and
methods section

47. Section
Structure
A coherent structuring of the topic is necessary to develop
the section structure.
Subheadings reflect the organization of the topic and
indicate the content of the various sections.
Possible criteria for structuring the topic are:
• methodological approaches
• models or theories
• extent of support for a given thesis
• studies that agree with another versus studies that
disagree
• chronological order
• geographical location
Paragraph
Structure
 Cover one idea, aspect or topic per paragraph.
 Avoid referring to only one study per paragraph;
consider several studies per paragraph instead.
MAIN PARTS OF A REVIEW ARTICLE

48. MAIN PARTS OF A REVIEW ARTICLE
Links Frequently link the discussed research findings to the research
question stated in the introduction.
These links create the a
thread of coherence in your review article.
Link the studies to one another. Compare and discuss these
relationships.
Tense Present - reporting what another author thinks, believes,
writes, reporting current knowledge or information of general
validity,
e.g. It is believed…
Simple Past - referring to what a specific researcher did or
found, referring to a single study, e.g. They found…
Present Perfect - referring to an area of research with a
number of independent researchers involved, e.g. They have
found…
Length 70 – 90% of the core text (introduction, body, conclusions)

49. MAIN PARTS OF A REVIEW ARTICLE
Citations Citations are usually indirect but in some cases pointed and
relevant remarks might be cited directly.
• Non-integral references (indirect): The author’s name, or a
number referring to the reference list, appears in brackets.
Non-integral references emphasize the idea, result, theory etc.
rather than the person behind it (Ridley 2008). Most references
in biology are non-integral.
• Integral references (direct): The author’s name has a
grammatical function in the text. As Ridley (2008) points out
this type is appropriate to emphasize the contribution of a
specific author.
Note Make sure to organize the different pieces of information into a line of
argument. An appropriate organization of information is all important for the
quality of a review
Throughout it is important that the idea/topic (paragraph 3 of the
Introduction) drives the article and not the literature used; write an idea-
driven, rather than literature-driven article!

50. Function Answer the research question set in the introduction
Elements  Implications of the findings
 Interpretations by the authors (kept separate from
factual information)
 Identification of unresolved questions
Tense Present: summarizing and drawing conclusions
Present perfect: referring to an area of research or a
body of literature
CONCLUSIONS

51. Many researchers have recorded the benefits of microbial concrete which includes
the enhancement of compressive strength, reduction in permeability and
reinforced corrosion in construction materials. The use of microbial concrete in
Civil Engineering has become increasingly popular.
Implications
of the findings
Microbial concrete technology has proved to be better than many conventional
technologies because of its eco- friendly nature, self-healing abilities and very
convenient for usage.
Interpretations
by the authors
. More work is required to improve the feasibility of this technology from both an economical and
practical viewpoints
Identification of Unresolved Problem

52. CONCLUSIONS
Citation Few or more
Length 5% to 10% of the core text
Note Make sure to have a clear take home message that
integrates the points discussed in the review.
Make sure your conclusions are not simply a repeat
of the abstract!

53. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Function  Expresses gratitude to people who helped with the
literature search, the structuring of the material or
in the writing process (but whose contribution is
too small to justify co-authorship).
 Expresses gratitude to funding organization and
specifies the funding program (often required by
funding agencies).
Tense Present (past tense when referring to funding
agencies in terminated projects)

54. We acknowledge the kind support extended by Dr. C. C. Gavimath by
providing pure bacterial culture and required guidance during the work
Gratitude to
People
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ahalia School of
Engineering & Technology and Ahalia School of Paramedical Sciences,
Palakkad for providing the facility for the current research.
Gratitude to
Organization

55. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Citation None
Elements  Full names of people and their specific contributions to
the project are given.
 The name of the funding agency and program as well as
the grant number

56. REFERENCES
Function Shows interested readers how to find the literature mentioned in
the text.
Acknowledges the work of other scientists.
Compulsory to avoid charges of plagiarism
Length A range between 50-100 references is in most cases appropriate.

57. REFERENCES
Elements Include every reference cited in the text.
Do not include additional references.
Avoid internet sources.
If internet sources must be used, find the original source for the
internet reference, check it has been correctly cited and cite it directly.
Note  For narrative reviews the inclusion of all relevant, high quality
studies is the target.
 Systematic and best evidence reviews need explicit criteria for the
inclusion/exclusion of studies from which they got the data.

58. Good Literature
Review
Outcome of literature review

60. 60
gmurugananth@gmail.com
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