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How to Read a Scholarly Article

An introduction to the common elements of scholarly articles, how to read and prioritize those elements, and 3 ways to read.

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Photograph of Trish Pearson

Trish Pearson

she/her/hers

tpearson@uwcchina.org

3 Ways to Read an Article

Scanning

  • Looking quickly to find specific information
  • Looking at headings and subheadings
  • Looking quickly at first and last sentences of sections

Skimming

  • Reading quickly to get a general idea of its contents

Close Reading

  • Reading for details

Use a combination of these techniques when you approach articles.

Reading Scholarly Articles PPT

 

What's in this Guide?

In this guide, you'll find helpful hints for how to determine if a scholarly article is likely to be helpful for your research. The goal is to save your time when finding articles.

  • Elements of a scholarly article
  • Don't read the whole article!
  • 3 ways to read an article

Common Elements of Scholarly Articles

Once you start looking at scholarly articles, you'll find that they have some common elements. Learn how to recognize them and how they can answer your questions and save your time.

Abstract - "Roadmap" of the article written by the author or abstract writer. Provides an overview of the research question, focus, methods, and conclusion.

Introduction - "Why?" - Outlines why the authors conducted their research, why it matters in the discipline, and their theory or hypothesis.

Literature Review -"Who else?" - An overview of the relevant literature for the topic. 

Methodology - "How?" Details about how the researchers conducted their study..

Results - "What happened?" - Describes the outcomes of the research. Often contain data, tables, charts, outlines, and graphs. May also inclue analysis.

Analysis/Discussion - "What does it mean?" - Discusses significant findings and the authors' analysis of the outcomes.

Conclusion - "What was learned?" - Presents final thoughts about the research, how results fit with their hypothesis, how it fits into the larger discipline, strengths and weaknesses of the research, and recommendations for research.

 

How to Approach Reading an Article

Don't read the article from beginning to end!

1. Read the abstract.

  • Does it address a relevant topic?
  • Does it help you understand the purpose of the research?

2. Read the conclusion.

  • Are the findings relevant to your research?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?
  • How does the findings fit in with your own research?

3. Scan the literature review.

  • Who else has done research related to this study?
  • Are their findings significant for your research? (Check the bibliography and look for related articles.)
  • How do other researchers view this issue/topic/question?
  • If something seems relevant to your research, then read relevant sections of the literature more closely.

4. Look for data/tables/charts/visuals.

  • Can these help you understand the methods or outcomes?

Further Tips

  • You can stop reading at any point in this process if the article doesn't seem relevant. 
  • You may choose to read these in a different order or skip suggested sections above.
  • Checking the bibliography and literature review can be powerful for finding more relevant articles.