Writers and researchers may be prone to accidental plagiarism when they are assigned or when they take up topics on which much has been written before. This is more so when the topic is factual in nature. A way to tackle this problem would be to take up another topic but if a substantial headway has already been made, the writer can still make good his efforts by first reviewing all other works on the same topic.
A few tips for writing a good review are as follows:
Defining the boundary: the writer needs to assess the depth and breadth of his/her research. This would depend on the number of pages he/she intends to write or is assigned to write. A good writer should not be repetitive; the content should be rich in terms of coverage and detailing. If the writer finds that there are too many write-ups already existing then he/she may decide to narrow the topic but if there are only few of these existing works then writer can broaden the topic.
Selection: after defining the boundary the writer should select the works which he/she wants to review, the works should be from credible sources.
Synchronization: includes compression, classification, categorization and integration. The writer should segregate the major issues addressed. In case of statistical data writer can take help of Meta tools and techniques to integrate data. Similar and different aspects should be addressed separately.
Succinct writing: in case of abundant content the review work needs to be compiled with high order succinct writing skill so as to capture maximum information in minimum words.
Detailing: if certain aspects are not explained or expanded sufficiently, writer may choose to add more details to these, but this should be done separately under the category of the writer’s own contribution or observation.
Further Possibilities: writer should mention unexplored areas and possibilities of further research in these.