Scholarly articles in the social sciences/sciences are written by academics and specialists in the field and include findings from primary/original research. It is not recommended that you read a scholarly article from beginning to end, rather....
| Step 1 | Read and consider the article title |
This will give you clues about the topic Ask yourself: Is the article still relevant to your research topic? |
| Step 2 | Scan the headings/sections of the article |
This will give you more clues about the topic. Ask yourself: Is the article still relevant to your research topic? |
| Step 3 | Read the abstract |
This is the summary of the article, usually dense with information. New articles may include keywords supplied by the author(s). Scan these keywords to:
Ask yourself: Is the article still relevant to your research topic? |
| Step 4 | Read the first few paragraphs of the Discussion section |
This section will include a summary of the major findings from the study and will:
Ask yourself: Is the article still relevant to your research topic? |
| Step 5 | Read the remaining sections of the article |
Before you read a section, convert the headings into a question. This will set the context for what you will learn in that section. Seek out the answer to this question as you read the section. Read the Introduction carefully - spend time here! The Introduction will provide background information about the topic and summarize previous research. Make a note of the hypothesis found in the Introduction section. Suggested order of reading: Introduction, Discussion, Results, then the Methods section. Ask yourself: Is the article still relevant to your research topic? |
| Step 6 | Examine the Works Cited/References | Note other relevant studies on the topic and locate these publications through Library databases. |