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All Guides Educational Studies How To Read A Scholarly Article

Leo Migdal
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all guides educational studies how to read a scholarly article

Academic (scholarly) articles are written by, and aimed at, an academic audience—readers who likely already have an understanding of the topic. Academic texts are often complicated and difficult to read. You don't necessarily have to read every word in a scholarly article in order to get what you need from it. Rather, you need to approach it strategically. Skipping around when reading a scholarly article is fine, even advised. Skim the introduction and jump to the end to read the conclusion

Look at the results to view the data (graphs, charts, images, etc.) Skipping around is encouraged when reading a scholarly article: Skimming these sections first will allow you to quickly determine if the article is relevant to your research and if you should do an in-depth reading. The abstract previews the entire article, makes it easier to judge whether it is relevant. Learn more about the topic of study and what the authors learned through their research. Applies to both sciences and humanities:

The resources below identify and define the parts of a scholarly article -- including: And suggest ways to navigate through and takes notes on these different sections in order to distill and process the key information to apply it to your own research analysis and writing. Please note that although some of the links below focus on "scientific" papers, the principals they build upon are relevant for reading any kind of scholarly article. Reading scholarly articles is a skill that you develop. Unlike a book chapter or magazine article you might read from start to finish, research articles are organized in a way that facilitates a more selective reading process, i.e. skimming and/or reading sections in a different order.

There is no single way to correctly read a scholarly article. Even the researchers you're working with (PI, postdocs, grad students) may their own way of breaking down and reading articles, both within and outside of their field. Along with asking about their practices, here are some other resources: This page will focus on reading scholarly articles — published reports on original research in the social sciences, humanities, and STEM fields. Reading and understanding this type of article can be challenging. This guide will help you develop these skills, which can be learned and improved upon with practice.

There are many different types of articles that may be found in scholarly journals and other academic publications. For more, see: Describes who is responsible for this work. May be one person, a group, or an institution. Make note of authors and institutions you see repeatedly during your search process. Describe the content in quick words or phrases.

Help you place the work in context with other literature. Good for quick reference! P laces the research in context with prior work. Analyzes important contributions that the author(s) believe are relevant and that the article builds upon to create new knowledge. Sometimes includes a theoretical framework. A good place to look to find additional sources for your research!

Reading research can be a challenge. However, the tutorials and videos below can help. They explain what scholarly articles look like, how to read them, and how to evaluate them: In some classes, your professor will expect you to use "primary research" or "empirical" articles. For tips on finding them in Penn State databases, see our cheat sheet. In the Social Sciences and Education, primary/empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.

How do you know if a study is empirical? Read the subheadings within the article, book, or report and look for a description of the research "methodology." Ask yourself: Could I recreate this study and test these results? Another hint: some scholarly journals use a specific layout, called the "IMRaD" format, to communicate empirical research findings. Such articles typically have 4 components: This page lists tips or ways that you can use to read a scholarly research article. While there are a lot of tips given, there is not necessarily one right way to read a research article; it depends on what you find most useful.

The information given below came from the University of Southern California. Effectively reading scholarly research is an acquired skill that involves attention to detail and an ability to comprehend complex ideas, data, and theoretical concepts in a way that applies logically to the research problem... Here are some specific reading strategies to consider. Highlighting Key Points and Taking Notes Taking notes as you read will save time when you go back to examine your sources. Here are some suggestions:

Write down thoughts that come to mind that may help clarify your understanding of the research problem. Here are some examples of questions to ask yourself: Research articles in the sciences and social sciences tend to be concise reports of results from quantitative and/or qualitative analysis, and focus on the discussion of results, methods, and limitations. The infographic below describes the components of scholarly research articles in the Social and Physical Sciences. The majority of articles in these disciplines will have the sections listed below: Reading scholarly articles is a skill that you can improve to become a critical and efficient reader.

The process can be different depending on the discipline the article was written for. Scanning and skimming are essential when reading scholarly articles, especially at the beginning stages of your research or when you have a lot of material in front of you. Many scholarly articles are organized to help you scan and skim efficiently. The next time you need to read an article, practice scanning the following sections (where available) and skim their contents: An abstract is a summary of the article, and will give you an idea of what the article is about and how it will be written. If there are lots of complicated subject-specific words in the abstract, the article will be just as hard to read.

This page will focus on reading scholarly articles — published reports on original research in the social sciences, humanities, and STEM fields. Reading and understanding this type of article can be challenging. This guide will help you develop these skills, which can be learned and improved upon with practice. Describes who is responsible for this work. May be one person, a group, or an institution. Make note of authors and institutions you see repeatedly during your search process.

Describe the content in quick words or phrases. Help you place the work in context with other literature. Good for quick reference! P laces the research in context with prior work. Analyzes important contributions that the author(s) believe are relevant and that the article builds upon to create new knowledge. Sometimes includes a theoretical framework.

A good place to look to find additional sources for your research! An explanation of how and why the authors approached the examination of their question and the collection of data. May include information about the limitations of their chosen methodology. There are many ways to read a scholarly article, just as there are many different types of scholarly articles. The suggestions on this page are general best practices. However, you should always double check with your professor to see if they want you to read in a specific way or for specific information.

Here are a few best practices when reading through a scholarly article. They are taken from library guides from Brown University, the University of Southern California, and Defiance College. California State University, San Bernardino 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino CA 92407 +1 (909) 537-5000 CSUSB Palm Desert Campus 37500 Cook Street Palm Desert, CA 92211 +1 (760) 341-2883

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Academic (scholarly) Articles Are Written By, And Aimed At, An

Academic (scholarly) articles are written by, and aimed at, an academic audience—readers who likely already have an understanding of the topic. Academic texts are often complicated and difficult to read. You don't necessarily have to read every word in a scholarly article in order to get what you need from it. Rather, you need to approach it strategically. Skipping around when reading a scholarly ...

Look At The Results To View The Data (graphs, Charts,

Look at the results to view the data (graphs, charts, images, etc.) Skipping around is encouraged when reading a scholarly article: Skimming these sections first will allow you to quickly determine if the article is relevant to your research and if you should do an in-depth reading. The abstract previews the entire article, makes it easier to judge whether it is relevant. Learn more about the topi...

The Resources Below Identify And Define The Parts Of A

The resources below identify and define the parts of a scholarly article -- including: And suggest ways to navigate through and takes notes on these different sections in order to distill and process the key information to apply it to your own research analysis and writing. Please note that although some of the links below focus on "scientific" papers, the principals they build upon are relevant f...

There Is No Single Way To Correctly Read A Scholarly

There is no single way to correctly read a scholarly article. Even the researchers you're working with (PI, postdocs, grad students) may their own way of breaking down and reading articles, both within and outside of their field. Along with asking about their practices, here are some other resources: This page will focus on reading scholarly articles — published reports on original research in the...

There Are Many Different Types Of Articles That May Be

There are many different types of articles that may be found in scholarly journals and other academic publications. For more, see: Describes who is responsible for this work. May be one person, a group, or an institution. Make note of authors and institutions you see repeatedly during your search process. Describe the content in quick words or phrases.