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How to Read a Scholarly Article

Anatomy of a scholarly article

Scholarly articles typically have the following sections, each with a specific purpose:

  • Abstract: A short summary of the article's contents, usually under 250 words. It should include a description of the problem, the study's outline, and a summary of the findings. The abstract helps readers decide if the article is relevant to their needs. An article's abstract is also an excellent place to find good search terms!
  • Introduction: Explains the topic or problem the authors researched, and presents their thesis or research goal.
  • Methodology or Materials and Methods: Describes the study design and how the research was conducted. (Articles in the Arts and Humanities may not have this section.)
  • Results: Presents the facts of the study in an unbiased way, without analyzing or interpreting the data.  (Articles in the Arts and Humanities may not have this section.)
  • Discussion or Analysis: Explains what the findings mean.
  • Conclusion: Summarizes what was learned from the study.
  • References or Works Cited: Lists the scholarly articles or publications that informed the research. These are almost always at the end of the article and are listed in citation format.

“Diagram titled ‘Anatomy of a Scholarly Journal’ illustrating the sections of a scholarly article: Title, Author Information, Abstract (summary of the study and findings), Introduction (background and research question), Methods (A description of how the studies were conducted), Results (data findings), Discussion (analysis of results), and References (sources cited).” 

 

Where these sections typically appear in a scholarly article:

Diagram titled ‘Anatomy of a Scholarly Article’ illustrating the sections of a scholarly article: title, author details, abstract, introduction, publication, charts & equations, body text, conclusions, references.

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