A primary research article that reports on original research has several components. Understanding what type of information can be found in each section is important to using the article effectively. A research article typically has the following:
Title
indicate what the study is about. It also lists the the author(s) of the article and their credentials so you can determine whether the are credible.
Abstract
Provides a brief summary of the article.
Introduction/ Literature Review
Introduce the topic, provide a review and synthesis of previous research conducted in relation to the topic, and state the the hypothesis - a statement of what the researchers expect to find from their study. Sometimes the Introduction and Literature Review are two separate sections.
Methods
Describe how the study was conducted. It includes information about sample sizes, control variables, instruments and procedures use to collect the data to be analyzed. Well designed and documented methods are important because it allows other researchers to replicate the study in future research. Describing the methods also enable readers to determine if the study design was valid or if it should have been designed differently.
Results
Report the findings of the study and whether the hypothesis were found to be true. It is an analytical section that provides statistical documentation to demonstrate whether the results are valid and reliable. Researchers should report results that are both statistically significant and insignificant.
Discussions
Describe and interpret the results. This section explains how results contribute to the existing body of scientific knowledge, lists limitations of the study and suggests areas for new research.
Conclusions
Recaps the results and discussion section.
References/Bibliography
Lists the sources the authors consulted when writing the article. Most of the sources listed will be referenced in the Introduction/Literature Review section. This section is very useful for finding additional articles related to your topic and is a part of the research article trifecta.
--Source: Subramanyam, R. V. (2013). The art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. 17(1): 65-70. doi: 10.4103/0973-029X.110733 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3687192/
As you read a research article, ask questions based on your research question or topic.
You might ask yourself the following:
This diagram provides instructions on how to read a scholarly article.
How to Read a Scholarly Article
Reading a scholarly article isn’t like reading a novel, website, or newspaper article which you typically read from start to finish. Below are some strategies on how to maximize efficiencies when reading an article.
An abstract is a summary of the article. You will learn what the article is about (Does the article help answer your research question) and how it is written (Can I understand what it means?). If the abstract has a lot of subject specific terms that you are not familiar with, the article will be just as difficult to read.
The author will outline the purpose of the study and their research questions.
The author will discuss how their research contributes to field, outline any limitations of the study, and discuss future areas that could be explored.
The first sentence introduces the content to be explored in the following paragraph. This can help you quickly decide if the paragraph has information relevant to your topic.
Now that you have gathered the idea of the article through the abstract, conclusion, introduction, and topic sentences, you can read the rest of the article!
Source: Adapted from Evaluating Information Sources: Reading Scholarly Articles - https://libguides.usc.edu/evaluate/scholarlyarticles