Review articles are more or less detailed summaries of the work published on a specific topic. They either evaluate published work on the topic and provide an up-to-date synthesis of it or summarize the work without evaluating it.
Source: O'Connor, M. (2002). Writing successfully in science. Routledge.
A review article uses data from previously published researches and develop arguments from them. Review articles offer an analysis of this available literature thereby providing a summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. Unlike research articles, review articles do not have sections for Materials and Methods nor Results. Depending on the topic or scope being reviewed, the components and layout of a review article vary. However, a good review article should review all the literature relevant to the topic being reviewed and it should present new ideas.
The purpose of review articles and their contributions vary depending on the matter or research topic being dealt with. Generally, review articles aim to;
Resolve definitional ambiguities and outline the scope of the topic.
Provide an integrated, synthesized overview of the current state of knowledge.
Identify inconsistencies in prior results and potential explanations (e.g., moderators, mediators, measures, approaches).
Evaluate existing methodological approaches and unique insights.
Develop conceptual frameworks to reconcile and extend past research.
Describe research insights, existing gaps, and future research directions.
Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-017-0563-4jdy
Source: https://www.editage.com/insights/5-differences-between-a-research-paper-and-a-review-paper