Research Basics: Finding Scholarly Journal Articles

Scholarly articles (or research studies) do not need to be read straight-through, from beginning to end!

1. Read the Abstract first for a summary of the research study.  
2. Read the Methods section to understand the research type: Original, Review or Meta-Analysis.
3. Read the Results to gain further understanding of the research study's findings. 
4. Skim the Introduction to understand the purpose and context of the study. 
5. Use the References to identify additional articles that may be helpful in your research. 

Scholarly articles (or research studies) in the Sciences and Social Sciences typically have the following sections: 

Title

• Long and descriptive

Abstract

• Summary of the article

Introduction and/or Literature Review

• Purpose of the study and a review of previous research

Methods

• How the research was done, as well as information about participants and tools

Results

• Data or evidence collected in the study

Conclusion and/or Discussion

• Summary of the data and ideas for future research 

References

• List of sources cited in the article

Scholarly articles (or research studies) in the Humanities: 

• Do not have a typical structure, tend to be more free-form
• May or may not have following elements:
  • Abstract
  • Literature Review
  • Methodology
• References or Works Cited list may include:
  • Scholarly articles
  • Primary source documents
  • Literary works
  • Works of art, music, dance, etc. 

University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Library