Exploring Sources: Reading an Academic Journal Article
Reading an Academic Journal Article
Great! You've found some sources, but now...you have to read them. Scholarly or academic journal articles can be a little overwhelming to read, especially if they are long and you don't know a lot about your topic yet. Look at the infographic below for some helpful tips, then answer the questions.
The below infographic is meant to help you efficiently do a first read-through of an article. You will use this process to help you to decide if you want to use the article for your research or assignment.
Once you have gone through this process of a first read-through you will need to go back through the whole article for a full, close read to better understand its contents and how it can be applied to your work.
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Tips for Reading an Academic Journal Article Infographic
It’s not as scary as you think…
Start with the abstract.
An abstract is usually located on the very first page. While the components vary from one discipline to another, it is generally designed to summarize key findings and explain purposes of the study. It serves as an advertisement for the paper to point people towards the article.
Useful bits:
they are short! read a paragraph rather than the whole article to make sure it pertains to your topic
they often include keywords. (If your topic isn’t in them, it probably isn’t specific enough)
Go to the end.
The end of an article usually includes either a discussion section, a conclusion section or sometimes both. In these sections the author or authors repeat all their key ideas, compare their study to others and explain what is still missing from their study.
Useful bits:
summary of ideas rather than every idea in great detail
usually explains strengths of the study
usually explains limitations of the study – what is still missing from this topic?
Check out the references.
At the very end of the article you’ll find the author or authors list of sources and references. This can be a gold mine of information, especially if you’re having a hard time finding other sources. Look for sources that have similar keywords to your topic or sources that are mentioned a lot. If an author is named many times, chances are they have written other things that may be helpful for your research.
Useful bits:
CTRL F is your best friend – use it to find words, or authors in a pdf
Look for authors with multiple sources on the list
Check the dates! It may help explain key research periods for your topic. Sometimes professors are only looking for recent sources, so keep that in mind too!
Optional:
Methods and results sections. Most articles contain a methods section and a results section. Unless you are very keen to learn the exact ins and outs of the study, these sections may be skimmed or skipped. The methods section explains how the study is conducted (what type of study, participant info, how information is gathered, et cetera.)
This may be helpful to you, depending on the assignment you are completing. The results section is an in-depth look at the stats and numbers behind the study. This section often includes tables of data as well as tons of statistical analysis. If this is your think, dive in! If not, the key info will be in the discussion or conclusion section.
Take a look at this journal articleLinks to an external site.. You will need to log-in with your CWL if you are off-campus. See if you can identify the sections of an academic journal article that we have already talked about. What do you notice that is different about this article?