How to Read a Scholarly Article — Transcript

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1. 0:00Scholarly journal articles often contain different sections, including an abstract,
2. 0:06introduction,
3. 0:07literature review,
4. 0:09main body, discussion, conclusion,
5. 0:12and bibliography.
6. 0:14However, in order to save time and understand what the author is trying to say more quickly,
7. 0:20it's more efficient to hop around the article in a different order.
8. 0:25Start with the abstract.
9. 0:26An abstract is like a menu description that tells you what to expect from the article.
10. 0:32Next jump down to the end of the article and read the discussion and conclusion.
11. 0:38These sections sum up the article.
12. 0:40Reading the end of the journal article won't spoil it for you.
13. 0:44It will help you decide whether you want to commit to the article
14. 0:47and invest any more time in reading the whole thing.
15. 0:51At this point, if the article seems like it might be relevant,
16. 0:54hop back to the beginning of the article and read the introduction.
17. 0:59The introduction will reveal how the author is planning to approach the subject.
18. 1:04By now, you should have a good feel for what the articles about,
19. 1:08and you will find that the body of the article will include the finer details of the research.
20. 1:13This section of the article may be organized by headings such as methodology, results and data.
21. 1:21The literature review section helps to position this new research
22. 1:25into an existing context by revealing the other research that has been published on the topic.
23. 1:31At this point, if you still think that the article is relevant to your research,
24. 1:36re-read the entire article a second time in chronological order.
25. 1:41Reading the article twice will ensure that you have a full understanding of the article and the author's message.
26. 1:48While you're reading any article, ask yourself these questions:
27. 1:53What specific topic is the researcher studying?
28. 1:57What is already known about this topic?
29. 2:00Do you agree with what the author is saying?
30. 2:04Does what the author says agree with other information you have found on this topic?
31. 2:10Finding answers to these questions will improve your comprehension of the article
32. 2:14and help you to think critically about the topic.
33. 2:18Last, but not least, the bibliography or list of references
34. 2:22will help you track down more relevant sources for your research.
35. 2:27If you need more help with any of these strategies, visit one of our Research Help desks.