Many writers struggle when it comes to writing a review as they are never quite sure what to include, what not to include, how long it should be, and what to focus on. In order for a writer to be able to write a review, the writer first needs to understand what a review is. According to Oxford Dictionaries (2018), a review is “a formal assessment of something with the intention of instituting change if necessary.” Through this definition, a writer can understand that the purpose of a review is to assess the product or book and this can be used to institute a change if necessary. This means that while reviews can be negative in nature, they should be geared towards being constructive in intention.

What should and should not be included?

Every product and book is different and this means that every review will also be different, and it is for this reason that there is no set answer about what should and should not be included in a review. However, generally reviews should not include curse words, foul language, insults, and/or personal feeling towards the author or seller. The review should generally include the writer's experience with the product or book, their feelings about it, and any background on the review writer that is needed to make the review understandable or prove expertise. For example, if the reviewer is a professional athlete reviewing an athletic product, then the review should mention that the review writer is a professional athlete because it provides proof of the reviewer’s expertise. Likewise, if the reviewer is a psychologist reviewing a psychology text book, then the writer would want to include that information in the review. This information could be included in the review by writing something like: as a psychologist, I found the book to be…

How long should it be?

Many writers struggle with how long to make their review. Should they only write a few sentences or should they write paragraphs? Generally, the answer to this question differs, depending on where the review is being written. For instance, a review on Twitter would only be a couple sentences, while a review on a blog, Goodreads, Amazon, or other sites should generally be around five hundred words. This would give the review writer enough space to write about the product or book itself, and then write about their own experiences with the product or book.

What to focus on?

The writer should generally try to avoid focusing too much on just one aspect of the product or book, as the goal of the review is to give a measured assessment. The review should include any negative aspects as well as all positive aspects of the product or book. However, it is important that the negative aspects are written as constructive feedback since the goal of writing about the negative aspects is to institute change and not to simply destroy the product or book in a review.  

References:  "Review." OxfordDictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 3 May. 2018.