Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2017: Week 46

Review in fandom has come to have two different usages, depending on the fan community and context.

Often it matches the mainstream meaning of "review," as in movie reviews or book reviews, especially in relation to the source texts, e.g. fan-written episode reviews. Similarly, fans may post opinions and evaluations of fanfic and other fanworks, and call this a "review", especially if it is longer and/or critical, to distinguish it from recs. While not always positive, reviews, like recs, are aimed at other fans rather than the fanwork creators, unlike feedback, which is for the creator.

However, in certain forums and fic archives, such as fanfiction.net, the public comments are called "reviews," though they are intended primarily as feedback for the authors (though not entirely, as such reviews are public, and may help readers select a story, especially since the comment numbers are displayed as a possible indicator of popularity). In these communities, review has come to mean simply "comment", e.g. in the common plea to "please read & review" (or "R&R" for short).