Review articles play a crucial role in academia, offering a comprehensive synthesis of a particular field. A well-written review possesses the potential to exert a profound influence on the relevant scientific communities, by enabling readers to quickly grasp the development of a specific domain and the state of the art, while identifying potential research directions and challenges.

This editorial presents key principles of an approach to writing impactful review articles, namely the Past, Present, and Future approach (Fig. 1).

A list of a few exemplary review articles can be found in Refs. 1–7. Note that form follows function; not all these elements should be included in one review.

In summary, a high-quality review significantly contributes to the advancement of a field. As the Tang Dynasty poet WANG Zhihuan eloquently stated over a millennium ago, “Ascend another story to have a further sight retrospect and prospect” (欲穷千里目, 更上一层楼). As a reviewer, it is crucial to adopt a higher vantage point with a broad perspective, encompassing insights from the past, present, and future, while consistently prioritizing the reader’s experience. Utilizing various display items such as graphs, tables, and boxes is of paramount importance to guide readers in comprehending field developments and envisioning future directions.

Peng Xi is a full professor in College of Future Technology, Peking University, China. His current research interests are in research and development of optical nanoscopy, as well as confocal and multiphoton microscopy techniques. He is the recipient of the National Distinguished Young Scholar by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He holds 20 issued patents, including 3 US patents. He has published over 90 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Nature Methods, etc., and he is a founding editorial board member of Advanced Photonics.