audience (peers of the author). The review paper will probably cover a number of these highly specialized subjects, so that the review will be read by many peers. The review paper will also be read by many people in related fields, because the reading of good reviews is the best way to keep up in one's broad areas of interest. Finally, review papers are valuable in the teaching process, so that student use is likely to be high. (For these reasons, by the way, order plenty of reprints of any review paper you publish, because you are likely to be inundated with reprint requests.)
Because the review paper is likely to have a wide and varied audience, your style of writing should be much more general than it need be for a research paper. Jargon and specialized abbreviations must be eliminated or carefully explained. Your writing style should be expansive rather than telegraphic.
Importance of Introductory Paragraphs
Readers are much influenced by the Introduction of a review paper. They are likely to decide whether or not to read further on the basis of what they find in the first few paragraphs (if they haven't already been repelled by the title).
Readers are also influenced by the first paragraph of each major section of a review, deciding whether to read, skim, or skip the rest of the section depending on what they find in the first paragraph. If "first paragraphs" are well written, all readers, including the skimmers and skippers, will be able to achieve some degree of comprehension of the subject.
Importance of Conclusions
Because the review paper covers a wide subject for a wide audience, a form of "conclusions" is a good component to take the trouble to write. This is especially important for a highly technical, advanced, or obscure subject. Painful compromises must sometimes be made, if one really tries to summarize a difficult subject to the satisfaction of both expert and amateur. Yet, good summaries and simplifications will in time find their way into textbooks and mean a great deal to students yet to come.
