The scholarly journal article is organized into several parts, or sections. These sections allow your to compare results of different research studies. Not all research articles contain ALL of the sections listed below; some are combined in some articles, while in other articles some of the sections may not be labeled. The order that you read each section can be important; not all sources consulted agree on what order you should read the sections of a research article. But all seem to agree that you should read the abstract first.
The order of the sections given below is NOT the order that the sections usually appear in an article, but are the order that the sections of the article should be read, according to the University of Southern California.
1. Abstract Read this first!
The abstract summarizes the background, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions of a scholarly article or research paper. Use the abstract to filter out sources that may have appeared useful when you began searching for information but, in reality, are not relevant. Questions to consider when reading the abstract are:
2. Introduction
If, after reading the abstract, you believe the paper may be useful, focus on examining the research problem and identifying the questions the author is trying to address. This information is usually located within the first few paragraphs of the introduction. Look for information about how and in what way this relates to what you are investigating. In addition to the research problem, the introduction should provide the main argument and theoretical framework of the study and, in the last paragraphs of the introduction, describe what the author(s) intend to accomplish. Questions to consider when reading the introduction include:
3. Literature Review
The literature review describes what is already known about a topic. Read the literature review to obtain a big picture perspective about how the topic has been studied and to begin the process of seeing where your potential study fits within this domain of prior research. Questions to consider when reading the literature review include:
This information above and in the column to the right came from Reading a Research Article by Dr. Robert V. Labaree, Librarian at the University of Southern California.
See also chapter 3 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition, for more information about the different parts of a psychology research article.
4. Discussion/Conclusion
The discussion and conclusion are usually the last two sections of text in a scholarly article or research report. They reveal how the author(s) interpreted the findings of their research and presented recommendations or courses of action based on those findings. Often in the conclusion, the author(s) highlight recommendations for further research that can be used to develop your own study. Questions to consider when reading the discussion and conclusion sections include:
5. Methods/Methodology
The methods section describes the materials, techniques, and procedures for gathering information used to examine the research problem. If what you have read so far closely supports your understanding of the topic, then move on to examining how the author(s) gathered information during the research process. Questions to consider when reading the methods section include:
6. Results
After reading the above sections, you should have a clear understanding of the general findings of the study. Therefore, read the results section to identify how key findings were discussed in relation to the research problem. If any non-textual elements [e.g., graphs, charts, tables, etc.] are confusing, focus on the explanations about them in the text. Questions to consider when reading the results section include:
7. References
The references list the sources used by the author(s) to document what prior research and information was used when conducting the study. After reviewing the article or research paper, use the references to identify additional sources of information on the topic and to examine critically how these sources supported the overall research agenda. Questions to consider when reading the references include:
NOTE: A final strategy in reviewing research is to copy and paste the title of the source [journal article, book, research report] into Google Scholar. If it appears, look for a "cited by" followed by a hyperlinked number [e.g., Cited by 45]. This number indicates how many times the study has been subsequently cited in other, more recently published works. This can be an effective means of expanding your review of pertinent literature based on a study you have found useful. The same strategies described above can be applied to reading articles you find in the list of cited by references.