Library Guides How To Read A Scholarly Article How To Read A

Leo Migdal

-Dec 12, 2025, 9:15 AM

library guides how to read a scholarly article how to read a

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: 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! 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 It's okay to skip around in a scholarly article. If the article looks to be useful for your purposes then you can read it from the beginning to end. While you are reading, reflect on how the article relates to what you want to write about or research.

Take notes. Interact with the article. How do the ideas or information presented relate to what you want to write about? If the article is relevant after you've read through it, consider reading it again. References can be a very useful resource.

Be sure to skim the titles in the References section. You could find another scholarly article you want to read. Cunningham, A., & Hannon, R. (2013). Reinforcing College Reading Strategies in the Library Classroom. LOEX Quarterly, 40(1).

https://commons.emich.edu/loexquarterly/ vol40/iss1/4 Middlesex Community College Jean Burr Smith Library. (2017). How to Read a Scholarly Journal Article. https://mxcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/How-to-read-a-scholarly-article_rev7_2016.pdf Reading Techniques.

(2017, April 18). Dartmouth Academic Skills Center. https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques 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 a scholarly article, use the following chart as a guide:

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: 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. 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. 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:

Library Guides How To Read A Scholarly Article How To Read A

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