The Structure of (MOST) Scholarly Articles
The General Format: Typically the article is split up in these sections and can be identified by headers throughout the body of the article
Abstract (Summary)
The abstract, generally written by the author(s) of the article, provides a concise summary of the whole article. Usually it highlights the focus, study results and conclusion(s) of the article.
Introduction (Why)
In this section, the authors introduce their topic, explain the purpose of the study, and present why it is important, unique or how it adds to existing knowledge in their field. Look for the author's hypothesis or thesis here.
Introduction - Literature Review (Who else)
Many scholarly articles include a summary of previous research or discussions published on this topic, called a "Literature Review". This section outlines what others have found and what questions still remain.
Methodology / Materials and Methods (How)
Find the details of how the study was performed in this section. There should be enough specifics so that you could repeat the study if you wanted.
Results (What happened)
This section includes the findings from the study. Look for the data and statistical results in the form of tables, charts, and graphs. Some papers include an analysis here.
Discussion / Analysis (What it means)
This section should tell you what the authors felt was significant about their results. The authors analyze their data and describe what they believe it means.
Conclusion (What was learned)
Here the authors offer their final thoughts and conclusions and may include: how the study addressed their hypothesis, how it contributes to the field, the strengths and weaknesses of the study, and recommendations for future research. Some papers combine the discussion and conclusion.
How To Read A Scholarly Article
Second scan the document with a focus on the introduction and discussion/conclusion. These sections offer the main argument and hypothesis of the article and will provide more details if the article. TIP: Skip around in the article, you won't ruin the ending if you start off reading the conclusion
Question if the content works with your research: What does the study mean and why is it important? What are the weaknesses in their argument? Is the conclusion valid?
Do the Methods address your research question?
Look at the references: Are there any articles that you could use in your research?
