Understanding the Definition of Review, Also Know the Elements and Structural Parts

Kapanlagi.com - Reading or seeing reviews has become a habit for some people before experiencing a work. The reason is, the understanding of a review is a text containing an assessment of a work, such as a film, book, music album, and so on. By reading reviews, we can get an idea of a work that we are going to enjoy.

Usually, we can find reviews in various media, such as newspapers, magazines, or blogs. Even now, reviews also exist in video form, making them more interactive and interesting. Reviews have indeed become something quite common and easy to find. However, in reality, many people still do not understand the meaning of a review, along with its elements and functions.

To get to know more about what a review is, let's take a look at the following summary gathered from various sources.

1. The Definition of Review

(credit: freepik)

Before understanding the objectives, elements, and benefits of a review, it is better to first understand the definition of a review. Referring to the Great Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), the meaning of the word 'resensi' is opinion, discussion, or review about a book. Still in KBBI, a review is also associated with opinions and assessments of a work.

Meanwhile, Indonesian linguistic figure, Gorys Keraf, believes that the definition of a review is a review text that is composed based on an assessment of a work or book.

In addition to Gorys Keraf, Panuti Sudjiman also expresses his opinion regarding the definition of a review. According to him, a review is a short discussion and assessment of a written work, accompanied by a brief expression, discussion, and even criticism.

Based on these definitions of a review, it is clear that a review is a text that contains an evaluation or review of a work.

2. Purpose of Writing Reviews

(credit: freepik)

Reviews are often presented in the form of texts that contain objective assessments or opinions on a work. Therefore, the creation of reviews certainly has a purpose. Knowing the purpose can be part of understanding the meaning of reviews more deeply. Some of the purposes of writing review texts include the following.

1. Providing an overview to prospective readers or viewers about the content or storyline of a work.

2. Providing consideration for readers, whether a work is suitable to be enjoyed or not.

3. Presenting comprehensive information to the public about a work, including an objective assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.

4. Giving readers consideration before choosing, buying, and enjoying a work.

5. To know the comparison of the reviewed work with other similar works.

6. Facilitating readers in understanding the relationship between a work and other similar works.

3. Understanding the Elements of a Review

(credit: freepik)

A review is a written or created review based on a work. Therefore, the review text is certainly different from other types of texts. In addition to the definition of a review, these differences can be seen from its elements. The elements in a review are as follows.

1. Title of the Review
The first element in a review is the title. Just like texts in general, the title of the review must be made as interesting as possible. Because an interesting title will attract the reader's interest. The title must also be able to represent the contents of the review. Therefore, it is advisable to create the review title after the review text is completely finished.

2. Identity of the Work
The second element in a review is the identity of the work. Yes, the review must include the identity of the work to be reviewed. For example, when reviewing a book, it is necessary to include the book's identity such as: book title, author, publisher, year of publication and printing, number of pages, and book price.

3. Review Content
The content of the review is the core element of the review. The content in the review is written briefly and concisely. However, as much as possible, the information in the review should be complete, preferably accompanied by reviews of strengths, weaknesses, writing style, and so on. Because, the content section is the only section where the writer conveys information related to the work being reviewed.

4. Conclusion
The fourth element of a review is the conclusion. One thing that is often mentioned in the conclusion is the conclusion regarding the suitability of the work.

4. Review Structure

Besides the characteristics and elements, it turns out that a review also has a distinctive structure. A review has at least five parts of the structure. The five parts of the structure are as follows.

1. Identity
The first part of the structure in a review is the identity. The identity includes the title, author, publisher, year of publication, number of pages, and book size (if the work being reviewed is a book). If it is a film, the identity can include the title, director, cast, duration, production company, and so on.

2. Orientation
The second part of the structure is orientation. This part is usually located in the first paragraph. Orientation generally contains explanations about the strengths of the work being reviewed. Often, awards or achievements of the work are also included.

3. Synopsis
Synopsis is a summary related to the work being reviewed. The synopsis must be written clearly and concisely. The synopsis will provide an overview of the content of the work to the readers.

4. Analysis
This part of the review contains an exposition of the elements in the work being reviewed, along with its assessment.

5. Evaluation
This part of the review will show the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a work being reviewed.

Those are some of the reviews regarding the understanding of a review, including its elements and structure. Hopefully, it is useful and can increase knowledge.

(kpl/psp)