Honors Program Research Guide

Scholarly articles are often highly structured, dense, and loaded with information. You may not retain all of the relevant information by reading the article start to finish, like you would a news or magazine article.  

That's why it can be helpful to know how to effectively skim them -- especially when you have a large quantity to get through! Since most (not all) scholarly articles follow a similar structure, you can use your knowledge of what each section means to skim efficiently.

Below, you'll find a breakdown of the most common components of academic/scholarly articles. Knowing what to expect from each section can help you jump around strategically as you read. 

Keep in mind that not all of these sections will be included in all of your articles -- it varies depending on the discipline. 

Title

Scholarly article titles are often long and descriptive. They offers clues to article’s main topic.

Author(s)

Describes who is responsible for this work. May be one person, a group, or an institution. Make note of authors and institutions you see repeatedly during your search process, as it may help you find additional research for your topic. 

Abstract

Summarizes article contents and findings; may include methodology. The abstract is an excellent section to read when you are evaluating for relevance. 

Keywords

Describe the content in quick words or phrases. Good for conducting additional searches for relevant articles. 

Introduction

Summarizes the article’s main idea, thesis, or research question. Should answer the question, "Why this?" Includes background knowledge on the topic and provides information about research motivations, impact, or purpose. 

Sometimes, the Introduction will also double as the literature review.

Literature Review

Brings the reader up to speed on the history of research in this area. Places the research in context with prior work.

Analyzes important contributions that the author(s) believe are relevant and that the article builds upon to create new knowledge. Sometimes includes a theoretical framework.

A good place to look to find additional sources for your research!

Methods or Methodology

An explanation of how and why the authors approached the examination of their question and the collection of data. May include information about the limitations of their chosen methodology.

Discussion

An examination of meaning and implications of the research for existing and future exploration.

Sometimes, you may skip directly to the Discussion to try to discern why this research matters and what it means. Then you can connect elements or arguments back to the methodology or literature review.

Figures

Graphical representation of findings and other relevant information. Includes charts, graphs, maps, images, tables, etc. Look at figures during your initial scan to determine relevancy and quality.

Conclusion

A synthesis of the findings and importance of the research. Sometimes the author may discuss gaps or opportunities in the research here, which can be helpful for your own understanding of the topic.

Source: Brown University Libraries