Sometimes referred to as "literature review" or "survey article"
Often include the words Review or Overview in the article title (e.g., Car accidents as a method of suicide: A comprehensive overview)
Present an overview of a topic and/or the current state of research on a topic
Does not present new information derived from first-hand research
Does analyze previously published studies
Not all reviews will contain the word review or overview in the article title.
The purpose of most scholarly articles is stated in the Introduction (often in the last paragraph). Here the purpose statement is: "This paper gives an overview of the principles, instrumentation and analytical techniques involved in HSI, followed by a review of recent forensic science applications."