Definitions:
State-of-the-art reviews tend to address more current matters, including a review of the literature. This type of article summarizes the current state of understanding on a topic. A review article surveys and summarizes previously published studies rather than reporting new facts or analyses.
Abstract:
A structured abstract of 250–350 words is mandatory for a review article. It must carry these headings:
- Context
- Evidence Acquisition
- Results
- Conclusions
Full Text:
The full text of a review article contains the following sections:
- Context: It includes 1 or 2 sentences describing the clinical question or issue and its importance in clinical practice or public health.
- Evidence Acquisition: This section describes the data sources, including the research strategies, study time, and other sources of the used materials, such as subsequent reference searches of retrieved articles. It explains the methods used for quality assessment and the inclusion of identified articles.
- Results: This section addresses the significant findings of the review of the clinical issue or topic in an evidence-based, objective, and balanced style, emphasizing the available highest-quality evidence.
- Conclusions: It clearly states the conclusions to answer the posed questions, if applicable, based on the conclusions of the available evidence, and it emphasizes how clinicians should apply the current knowledge.
Limits
The word count, reference limit, figure and table limit, and abstract requirement for a Review Article are all set in the Word Count and Limits Policy, which is the single authoritative source.