Kurdistan Regional Government- Iraq
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Salahaddin University - Erbil
Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Affairs
The Instructions on
How to Write a Review Article
2023-2024
How to Write a Review Article Page 1
Review article: A review article is a comprehensive and methodical examination of the body of
research on a certain subject or discipline that is undertaken by gathering, summarizing,
analysing, comparing, and evaluating a group or the totality of scientific articles on a certain
issue or field of study. These articles are focused on a certain topic in order to provide detailed
and comprehensive information and perspectives. It is critical to offer an overview of the subject's
current scientific and cognitive status in such a study. Furthermore, diverse points of view on the
matter should be examined using scientific sources. The review article should dive into the
research's significance for the field as well as how it may be adopted and practiced in the future.
They serve as valuable resources for researchers seeking an in-depth overview of a particular
subject.
First: The Requirements of Review Article
Postgraduate students must observe the following requirements in writing a review article:
1. The review article should be written in Word using Microsoft Word and send it as a PDF
format to your module lecturer.
2. The length of the review article should be 3000- 5000 words. 8-12 pages, based on the
area of specialization (Humanities and Pure Science) and subject.
3. In the humanities, PhD students should choose 4 – 7 articles, whereas MA students should
choose 3 - 6 articles. In the case of pure sciences, at least 15 published articles for PhD
students and 10 articles for MSc students will be selected for review.
4. The source materials can be used in the review article collected from only good published
articles that can be found in databases such as (Science Direct, Jstor, Pubmed, IEEE
Explore...etc).
5. The student is not free to add new data, only the data found in the reviewed articles, along
with the researcher’s own point of view.
6. Harvard Style should be used in referencing, except (History, Philosophy, and
Archaeology Departments) in the College of Arts along with College of Law, Political
Science, and Islamic Studies are required to use Chicago Referencing Style.
7. This review article should be typed in, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font
size.
8. The review article should be numbered below-centric on each page except the cover
page.
9. The review article should be written in English, Arabic, or Kurdish depending on the
language of the subject and the discipline.
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10. The deadline for the submission, starts from week 10-13 of the study.
11. This review article should be passed through Turnitin software and should not exceed
25% for PhD students and 30% for MSc/MA students. Beyond these rates, the module
instructor will decide to send (only once) it back to be fixed or to accept it, if not reach
the required rate the instructor will reduce the grade based on the differences in the rate.
12. The student will pass if he/she considers the following criteria in his/her review article:
Cover page, title, selected articles quality, academic writing and style, critical analysis,
citation and referencing, discussion and results, conclusions, list of references, overall
article quality.
13. If two review articles are similar it will be counted as cheating and both get Zero marks.
Second: The structure and content of the Review Article
The content of the review article should include the following topics and headings:
1. Cover page: This page includes the university logo, University name, College name,
Department name, Subject name, Title of the Review article, Student name, and email,
Lecturer’s name, and the academic year.
2. The Title should be concise, yet descriptive, providing an indication of the focus and
scope of the review. Recommended to be between (8-14 words).
3. Abstract: The abstract offers a brief summary of the review article. It helps readers
quickly assess the relevance of the article. This section should be between (150 - 250
words).
4. Keywords: underneath the abstract should have (3 -5 words) Keywords.
5. Introduction: The introduction serves to introduce the topic and establish the context for
the review. It should include: Background information on the subject. The rationale for
the review, the aim and the objectives of the review, and an outline of the organization
and structure of the review. This section should be 400-500 words.
6. Methodology (Optional): In this section, some review articles include a methodology
section, particularly if the review involves a systematic literature review. It outlines the
search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and any other methods used to select and
analyze the literature. The length of this section is around (500-750 words).
7. Main body / Summary Section: This section is very important. An important part of
your contributions will be in this section. Summarizing the review article is where the
student presents the selected articles for review. This section is often organized
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thematically, chronologically, methodologically, theoretically, or geographically. In
describing each selected research, the topic and essence concept of the research should
be described in a few clear sentences, then the importance, findings, theory used, and
main methodology of the research should be discussed. In addition, the summary should
be centered around a central theme or argument on a topic or field to maintain the overall
coherence and relevance of the selected research to serve the review article. The titles and
information about the selected studies should also be mentioned correctly. The length and
word count of this review are between 1500 and 2500 words.
8. Discussion and Comparison: This section presents a comprehensive analysis of the
selected studies, which is directly related to the previous section. A comprehensive and
critical analysis of all selected studies should be conducted. which are summarized in the
previous section. Here are the points that need to be worked on: organizing and linking
the review, linking the theoretical framework, consequences, and implications of the
selected articles. Evaluation of article methodology, scope, limitations, and gaps of
research, and direction of future research in the field. The word count for this topic is
generally between 800 and 1000 words.
9. Conclusions: This section serves to summarize the key points made in the review. It
highlights major findings and emphasizes the implications for the field and it may raise
the recommendation. The length of this section is around (150- 250 words).
10. References: The list of references includes all the sources cited in the review.
11. Acknowledgement (Optional): If applicable, the student may include an
acknowledgment section to express gratitude for support, funding, or contributions from
individuals or organizations.
12. Other optional Sections (Optional): According to the contents of the subject and the
field of the review article, the review is free to add figures, appendices, recommendations,
suggestions, tables to describe the main concepts, shortening of findings, or submitting
information selected research information.
Good Luck
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