Structure of a Critical Review
Structure of a Critical Review
- Title page:
See the information on title pages. We won’t go into further detail here.
- Introduction/Opening:
This may be one or two paragraphs. This section is very similar to the opening of any research report – the start of the introduction section. So, it is more like an opening than a real introduction. In this opening section we rarely provide critical review of the studies cited. We want this to be informative but also easy to read and something that gets our readers interested in the rest of our paper. Generally (there are always exceptions) the format of this paragraph or two follows a funnel shape and goes like this:
Start broad with Background/Context of the topic:
For example: “According to the WHO (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020), the number of adolescents suffering from nomophobia continues to grow and was reported to be between 70-90% prevalence in 2019.”
This shows the importance of the topic and gives some context to the reader. However, that wasn’t the most exciting sentence. This first sentence is also the hook – something that peaks your readers’ interest and makes them want to continue reading. So, spend a little extra time on this sentence but make sure it is accurate, not dramatic and fits logically with the rest of the paragraph.
Another example might be “The number of adolescents showing signs of nomophobia is increasing annually and may be as high as 90% in some regions (WHO, 2020).”
You could probably do better yourself. Note – avoid exclamation marks or any hyperbole, always stick to the facts.
Generally, avoid definitions here, although you may need to explain the meaning of some new terms. So, this “nomophobia refers to people who are afraid of being without their mobile phone (no-mobile-fear)” rather than “nomophobia is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘anxiety about not having access to a mobile phone or mobile phone services’ (Oxford University Press, 2019).”
Notice that the first version is concise and helps maintain flow in the paragraph. The second version is more verbose and written in a way that sounds like a high school essay or an attempt to put readers to sleep.
Narrowing the topic – quickly but gradually: Next, bring in a few broad details of factors important to your paper. You are now narrowing the topic from the very broad start toward your main subtopics.
For example, you might state “Nomophobia affects all ages but is particularly problematic for adolescents and people with mental health disorders (citation).”
You have now reinforced your focus on adolescents and have added mental disorders as a related factor. Next, you might further narrow your topic as follows
“People with anxious attachment styles and anxiety disorders have shown higher rates of problematic phone use, however, social support appears to reduce nomophobia anxiety for some (citation).”
This has further narrowed/specified the topic of interest as anxiety disorders and anxious attachment style and included the new variable social support.
Another example is “Nomophobia has been measured from many perspectives, such as addiction, anxiety and communications. These different types of measurement may affect findings with other variables, such as social support and anxiety symptoms, in relation to problematic phone use.”
This has brought the work into a different direction – measurement and theory (what is nomophobia and how best do we measure it?). This sentence may be a good segue to the thesis statement.
Thesis statement. We usually end the opening with a thesis statement. This might be the last sentence, sometimes two, of the first paragraph or the second. This is an important sentence and deserves extra attention. Try to avoid narration (see below). State the aims of your paper clearly, accurately, but concisely.
For example: “This report critically reviews how nomophobia is measured and the empirical evidence validating each type of approach.”
Narration – avoid this. Some types of reports, such as reflective essays, require narration. That is not the case for most research papers. What is narration? Here is an example: “This paper will start with an introduction, reviewing the literature, then state hypotheses, then there will be a method section, then a results section, then a discussion section.” As you can see, this is often boring and pointless – in this context. Just state your points, no need to tell readers “I am going to do a, b and c.”
3. Review Findings:
This is the main part of your paper and will vary greatly depending on the purpose of your report. It will likely be divided into several sections. As with any written work, these sections should flow logically. Please include subheadings to guide and orient your readers. This is covered further in the How to Write section.
4. Conclusion:
This is a pretty standard conclusion section, as you would find in most research reports. You can find some suggestions for this in the Research Report Discussion page. Generally, follow these points:
Do not write “In conclusion.” Instead, make a subheading “Conclusion” or similar. Then, start with a summary of the main findings from your lit review. For example, “A review of the literature found most studies used an addiction-type approach to measuring problematic phone use. Findings from such studies showed only small effect size associations between social support and nomophobia symptoms.” No need to mention all points here, just highlight the main (take-home) points you want your reader to focus on.
Bring in your own ideas/conclusions. This is a requirement. You need to inform readers of your interpretations, your ideas for future directions/applications etc. For example: “To improve validity and accuracy, clinicians and researchers should include nomophobia measures that assess anxiety-like symptoms related to nomophobia in clients and participants.” “Future research needs to differentiate between addiction-like behaviours and anxiety-like affect and cognition when examining outcomes due to nomophobia.”
Final sentence – something for your readers to remember. Remember the recency effect? Spend some extra time on this sentence, it is the one your readers will likely remember longest. You want them to remain interested in the topic and to have a good impression of your work. Here is a wikihow with some examples on how to finish a conclusion.