A review is an evaluation of a publication, such as a movie, video game, musical composition, book, or a piece of hardware like a car, appliance, or computer. In addition to a critical statement, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indicate its relative merit. More loosely, an author may review current events or items in the news.

A compilation of reviews may itself be called a review. The New York Review of Books, for instance, is a collection of essays on literature, culture, and current affairs. National Review, founded by William F. Buckley, Jr., is an influential conservative magazine, and Monthly Review is a long-running socialist periodical.

In scientific literature the literature review is a category of scientific paper, which provides a synthesis of research on a topic at that moment in time. A compilation of these reviews forms the core content of a 'tertiary' scientific journal, with examples including Annual Reviews, the Nature Reviews series of journals and Trends.

Peer review is the process by which scientists assess the work of their colleagues that has been submitted for publication in the scientific literature. A software review is also a form of peer review, by the co-workers.

Consumer review refers to a review written by the owner of a product or the user of a service who has sufficient experience to comment on reliability and whether or not the product or service delivers on its promises.

Expert review usually refers to a review written by someone who has tested several peer products or services to identify which offers the best value for money or the best set of features.

Bought Review is the system where the creator (usually a company) of a new product pays a reviewer to review his new product. Primarily used in the car, movie and game industry this system creates a kind of undercover advertising. Bought reviews obviously are often biased, although exceptions occur.

See also

• Book review
• Critic