Introduction: 

You should mention the name of the author and the article you are reviewing in your introductory paragraph. Also try to identify the overall theme of the article. Consider what the author is trying to demonstrate in his essay. 

Example: 

In “The Nightmare of Vietnam,” historian George Herring examines the Vietnam War as it occurred during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. He contends that the military and political approaches undertaken by the Johnson Administration were fatally flawed but the president’s pride and personality would not allow him to admit failure. 

Note that article titles should be placed in quotation marks. 

Summary: 

You should provide the major arguments put forth by the author. Consider how he or she constructs the essay to make his or her point. 

Criticism/Assessment: 

Note that you are to evaluate the author’s work, not the subject of the essay. Hence, in this example, a statement about whether you think Lyndon Johnson’s policies were right or wrong is inappropriate here. You should instead focus on how well the author present his material. 

Here is a brief example:  

Herring’s essay is organized in a straightforward manner and is easy to comprehend. While he focuses on the shortcomings of American military policy, Herring might have looked more closely at the political pressures that affected Lyndon Johnson as they played a large role in the decisions made by the president and his advisors. Herring provides readers with a greater understanding of the Vietnam War but his left-wing bias is clear; a more balanced look at the positions taken by liberals and conservatives would have improved his article. 

In your paper you should pay attention to the following: format, style (punctuation, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph development), clarity, proofreading, identifying themes, accuracy, and support for your evaluation.