Reading a scholarly article isn’t like reading a novel, website, or newspaper article. It’s likely you won’t read and absorb it from beginning to end, all at once.
Instead, think of scholarly reading as inquiry, i.e., asking a series of questions as you do your research or read for class. Your reading should be guided by your class topic or your own research question or thesis.
For example, as you read, you might ask yourself:
The information in the tabbed box is adapted from "Evaluating Information" by Carina Cournoyer (2020) at the Brown University Library and Reading Scholarly Articles, University of Southern California.
Note: Not all articles contain all components.
| Title | Offers clues to article’s main topic. |
|---|---|
|
Author(s) (Who) |
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. |
|
Abstract (Summary) |
Summarizes article contents and findings; may include methodology. |
| Keywords |
Describe the content in quick words or phrases. Help you place the work in context with other literature. Good for quick reference! |
| Introduction (Why) | Summarizes the article’s main idea, thesis, or research question. Should answer the question, "Why this?" Includes background knowledge on the topic and provides information about research motivations, impact, or purpose. |
| Literature Review (Who Else) |
Places 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! |
| Methods or Methodology (How) |
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. |
|
Results (What happened) |
This section includes the findings from the study. Look for the data and statistical results in the form of tables, charts, and graphs. Some papers include an analysis here. |
|
Discussion (What it means) |
An examination of meaning and implications of the research for existing and future exploration. |
|
Figures (Graphics) |
Graphical representation of findings and other relevant information. Includes charts, graphs, maps, images, tables, etc. Look at figures during your initial scan to determine relevancy and quality. |
|
Conclusion (What was learned) |
A synthesis of the findings and importance of the research. |
A scholarly paper can be difficult to read. Instead of reading straight through, try focusing on the different sections and asking specific questions at each point. 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), skim their contents and ask yourself specific questions about the material.
What is your research question?
When you select an article to read for a project or class, focus on your topic. Look for information in the article that is relevant to your research question.
Read the abstract first as it covers basics of the article. Questions to consider:
Second: Read the introduction and discussion/conclusion. These sections offer the main argument and hypothesis of the article.
Questions to consider for the introduction:
Questions for the discussion and conclusion:
Next: Read about the Methods/Methodology. If what you've read addresses your research question, this should be your next section.
Questions to consider:
Finally: Read the Results and Analysis. Now read the details of this research. What did the researchers learn? If graphs and statistics are confusing, focus on the explanations around them.
Questions to consider:
Review the References (anytime): These give credit to other scientists and researchers and show you the basis the authors used to develop their research. The list of references, or works cited, should include all of the materials the authors used in the article. The references list can be a good way to identify additional sources of information on the topic.
Questions to ask:
Read with purpose
Categorize Information
Create your own informal system of organization. It doesn’t have to be complicated — start basic, and be sure it works for you.
Keywords
New Words
Highlight words, terms, phrases, acronyms, etc. that are unfamiliar to you. You can highlight on the text or make a list in a notetaking program.