How To Read Academic Articles Oise Academic Skills Hub

Leo Migdal
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how to read academic articles oise academic skills hub

Critical reading is an essential skill for academic success, enabling you to engage deeply with course materials and scholarly articles. This resource page offers different strategies for critical academic reading depending on your reading purposes — whether for class discussions, selecting literature for an assignment, or delving into selected readings for your paper writing—... You are required to engage in academic reading for various purposes: Purpose: get the gist (i.e., main points) of assigned readings to prepare yourself for class (e.g., class discussions) or homework (e.g., online posts and discussions). Purpose: decide if a source is a match for your assignment topic and goal by quickly reading it. 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: "Academic texts are not meant to be read through from beginning to end." – Anyone who's tried to read an academic text from beginning to end. Academic literature is pitched at an ‘academic audience’ who will already have an understanding of the topic. Academic texts can be complicated and difficult to read, but you don't necessarily have to read every word of a piece of academic writing to get what you need from it.

On this page we'll take a look at strategies for reading the most common form of academic literature: the academic journal article. But these strategies may also be applied to other forms of academic writing (and in some cases even to non-academic sources of information). We'll ask ourselves why we're doing the reading in the first place, before examining the typical structure(s) of an article, from abstract to conclusion, and considering the best route through. We'll also take a look at the best strategies for reading. One of the most common academic sources is the journal article. Researchers publish their research in academic journals which usually cover a specific discipline.

Journals used to be printed magazines but now they're mostly published online. Some journals have stronger reputations and more rigorous editorial controls than others. There are all sorts of different types of journal article. The article's title might make it clear what type it is, but other aspects of the article will also give you a clue. Reading scholarly sources can be difficult. This handout provides strategies to help you read dense, lengthy academic articles efficiently and effectively.

Examine the article and its publisher for clues. Peer-reviewed academic journals are intended for scholars in that field, whereas popular titles (like Time or Newsweek) are intended for a more general audience. You may not be the primary audience for the text, and that’s OK. If this is the case, the author may reference other scholarly works assuming that you’ve read them, or they may cite facts or events that you haven’t learned about. If you encounter these elements, notice them, but try to keep moving through the article – sometimes you can keep moving without looking everything up. Also remember that if you are not the primary audience, you may not enjoy the writing style – so a little perseverance may be necessary!

2: Think about why your professor assigned this reading You may not be the author’s intended audience, but understanding the reason you’ve been asked to read the article can help you stay engaged and read with purpose. What subject will this article prepare you discuss? How does this article fit into the main questions or topics of the course? What will the instructor ask you to do with the knowledge you gain from the article? 3: Skim strategically to identify the main argument or idea in the text

Reading academic articles can be tricky and time-consuming. However, there are some strategies that can help you find the information you need efficiently. First, let’s learn about the different sections of articles, before seeing how we can apply active reading to the process. Here are some of the sections commonly found in academic articles and a description of the information that they contain: The principles of active reading can be applied to academic articles. Think about why you are reading the article.

If the article is a key text that you need to understand thoroughly, then you might start by surveying the text — reading the article title, finding out about the author, looking at the... While you read, remember to think critically. Just because you are reading an academic article, it does not mean that you must agree with everything theory or idea expressed in it. Consider whether the information is credible, whether the research has been carried out in an effective way and if the conclusions drawn from the research are logical. This guide offers practical tips when reading an academic article to improve comprehension and retention of information. Reading a scientific paper can take time, especially if you are new to it.

However, the more you read, the quicker you will become at identifying the information you need for your studies. It is important to recognise the difference between grey literature original research and a literature review. Common forms of secondary research include: Whether you initially focus your reading on original research or literature reviews depends on the type of information you need. If you want a broad overview of a topic, start with literature reviews. We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials.

If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below. Reading is one of the most important skills you’ll use throughout your degree, but it can also be one of the most overwhelming. When you’re juggling lectures, essays, seminars, and revision, the reading lists can feel never-ending. And unlike school, you’re no longer reading simply to absorb information — you’re expected to question ideas, analyse arguments, and use what you’ve read to shape your own critical thinking. That’s why learning the right reading techniques, choosing effective reading strategies, and using flexible reading methods will make your university journey much easier. When you know how to approach different texts, you’ll understand them faster, remember more, and feel more confident in seminars and while writing essays.

This guide will help you do exactly that. By the end, you’ll know how to read smarter — not harder. If you’ve ever sat down with a journal article and wondered why it feels twice as hard as anything you read at school, you’re not alone. The Academic Skills Hub (ASH) is a virtual library designed to enhance your academic skills. In ASH you’ll find Resource Pages about academic writing and reading, academic English, communication skills, and learning strategies. Dive into areas like academic article reading, literature reviews, reflective writing, citations, paragraph construction, integrating research into your work, and much more*.

Our goal is to make broad and complex topics easy and quick to grasp, so each Resource Page features a specific, easily digestible topic or subtopic multiple media (text, diagrams and images, videos, interactive activities, practical examples and student samples)

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And Suggest Ways To Navigate Through And Takes Notes On

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 yo...

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Journals used to be printed magazines but now they're mostly published online. Some journals have stronger reputations and more rigorous editorial controls than others. There are all sorts of different types of journal article. The article's title might make it clear what type it is, but other aspects of the article will also give you a clue. Reading scholarly sources can be difficult. This handou...