How To Read A Scholarly Article Evaluating Information Library

Leo Migdal

-Oct 27, 2025, 1:41 AM

how to read a scholarly article evaluating information library

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! Research papers generally follow a specific format. Here are the different parts of the scholarly article. The abstract, generally written by the author(s) of the article, provides a concise summary of the whole article.

Usually it highlights the focus, study results and conclusion(s) of the article. In this section, the authors introduce their topic, explain the purpose of the study, and present why it is important, unique or how it adds to existing knowledge in their field. Look for the author's hypothesis or thesis here. Introduction - Literature Review (Who else) Many scholarly articles include a summary of previous research or discussions published on this topic, called a "Literature Review". This section outlines what others have found and what questions still remain.

MSU Library P.O. Box 173320 Centennial Mall Bozeman, MT 59717-3320 Administration (406) 994-3119 Service Desk (406) 994-3139 Many articles follow a similar format, including these sections: Many times you will be asked to find scholarly articles when you are completing a class assignment. Here are some ways to identify a scholarly journal article.

Click on the image at the right for more information on scholarly vs. popular articles. 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:

Abstract: a short summary of the research Introduction: describes the problem and the importance of the research Literature Review: describes the previous research done on the topic Methods: describes the methods used to perform the research Results: the data that the research produced (this is usually a graphic, like a table, a graph, or a chart) There isn't a checklist that determines if information is credible, trustworthy, or even appropriate for your research.

Start with asking questions to determine how well a source fits your needs. Remember that the information needs to be situated in the context of your inquiry research question. Reminder: Always review the assignment for any source requirements. Source evaluation is multi-layered and includes several strategies to build a complete picture about the source. Learn more about how to explore a source, find trusted coverage, and trace claims to the original source in the Evaluating Online Information library guide. The Evaluating Sources for Credibility video (3:22 minutes) introduces the concept of evaluating information to determine a source's credibility.

Scholarly (also called academic) articles are very different from news, magazine, and trade articles. The Anatomy of a Scholarly Article video (3:12 minutes) provides strategies for reading scholary articles. The Reading Scholarly Articles handouts (Word file links) illustrate the structure of a scholarly article within different disciplines. If you decide the article you've found is relevant to your research question then carefully read each section of the article and take notes. Scholarly Communication – Publishing papers in journals is a way that scholars “talk” to each other; how they share information with each other about their research, ideas, and discoveries. You are now joining that conversation with your own original voice.

Remember, when anyone starts a research project, whether you are a student writing a paper for an assignment or a professor writing an article for publication, you must review what others have discovered and... When you read journal articles, always remember that YOU are going to write a paper based on what you read. So, do the following: 3. Steps to Reading a Scholarly Research Article Much of the information contained on this page comes from a Research Guide entitled, "How to Read an Article in a Scholarly Journal" from Cayuga Community College Library.

The information on this page covers the following topics: In order to read scholarly materials accurately, you first need to be able to identify them. The most common attributes of scholarly materials are: Aesthetics: As opposed to popular sources, scholarly materials aren't as flashy. You'll see fewer images and decorative elements. Every part of a scholarly source has a purpose.

Audience: Scholarly articles are written for scholars and experts in a specific research field and can include a wide variety of disciplines, including the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and other subjects.

How To Read A Scholarly Article Evaluating Information Library

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MSU Library P.O. Box 173320 Centennial Mall Bozeman, MT 59717-3320