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HDFS 4260 Adulthood

Course guide for HDFS 4260

Making Sense of a Research Article

Journal articles can be intimidating when you first start reading them. They are much more complex than news or general articles on the same topic. They have a set “formula” for the layout and it is helpful to understand the purpose of each section. Below you will find a video and an infographic discussing the parts of research or scientific papers.

Depending on the field of study or the particular journal, you will find some variations in the required sections in research articles. Below are two examples.

  • Introduction
  • Literature Review
  • Methodology
  • Preliminary Data
  • Statement of Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • References
  •  Abstract
  • Method
  • Procedure
  • Analysis
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • References

 

JCKL - How to Read A Journal Article

How to Read a Scientific Paper - Infographic

Research articles can be complicated and cover very in-depth information. Unlike a story, you don't have to start at the "beginning" and read straight through to the end. The infographic below describes a method to survey the article in steps. You are not trying to understand it all in one reading.