Demystifying Scholarly Journals: Unit 2
Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2021 (Zhang) | Demystifying Scholarly Journals
Scholarly Article Formatting
Scholarly articles often follow a distinct formatting. This universal format aides trained researchers to skim through text to quickly determine whether the article is of any relevance to their interests. The basic format of a journal is as follows:
ABSTRACT. A four to six sentence paragraph detailing what the article is about.
INTRODUCTION. A short portion of the article that explains how the author is presenting their research. Usually, this will include expanding upon existing research or applying theory to tangible practice. Introductions will almost always include literature reviews which point to existing research on the topic of their study (Kent State University Libraries, 2021).
METHODOLOGY. The detailed analysis of the procedures and accounts as well as raw data for the research conducted. The authors may also state what they are not explicitly taking into consideration as part of their study. (Kent State University Libraries, 2021).
RESULTS. May also be called Findings. This where the results of the findings are broken down to simple graphs for direct analysis.
CONCLUSION. This is where the results of the findings correlate to their research. The conclusion may also include discussion points to expand upon future studies, or present scenarios where their research could not be replicated (Marymount University Libraries, 2021).
REFERENCES. A list of all titles referenced in the article.
For a slightly more in depth explanation of these sections, watch the video below:
When presented with, or looking for articles, always read the abstract first. If available, the abstract will directly tell the reader what multiple pages of research will include. If the information is relevant to you or seems interesting enough to read, follow through with the introduction. The introduction will tell you the main research question (Middleton Community College, 2016). Once you know what the authors are setting out to find, you can read the results to see what the key answers to their research (Middleton Community College, 2016). From there, follow up with the methodology and remainder of the article to discover what future questions need to be followed up on. Some institutions disagree upon the reading order of scholarly articles, but as a rule one should always read the abstract and introduction first. This will provide you with the most broad of overviews for the article.
Activity
Follow the link to open a .pdf copy of a scholarly journal article:
Researchers’ Adoption of an Institutional Central Fund for Open-Access Article Processing Charges.
If you are working in groups: Each member of the group will read a section of the article outside of the abstract. Each color will represent a different reader group. You are free to choose which groups are which colors. After reading their section, you may highlight your .pdf copy where the paper directly addresses what is mentioned in the abstract. You are looking for the sentence or partial sentence that addresses your designated section.
You may follow the same instructions if you are working asynchronously, but it may take you longer to complete the assignment. Feel free to stop reading when you find something directly mentioned in the abstract if you prefer.
Follow up
By changing our reading emphasis on different sections, we can learn to evaluate large scale research in relation to our own research in a shorter amount of time. This is important given the vast amount of published material. Learning this early on will expedite your research efforts, and will help you in the next Unit when you learn more about backtracking resources.
I am sure you found that there was a lot of color in various places on your .pdf copies. Learning how to express your research in a simple, straightforward and broad manner through an abstract saves the reader time in decide whether to delve deeper into the research in the article, and how much of the article they wish to consume.
Reflection
Please share your reply to the prompt in an online journal entry.
Helpful Hints and Takeaways
We reviewed a lot on what scholarly articles are. We haven’t really gone over where to find them though. It’s always important to note that a 15 to 30 minute conversation with a research librarian can save you hours of research time. They will provide many helpful directional instructions on where and how to search for resources.
Remember to consider the sources and look up the journal the article is published. See what they represent and their relationship with the author.
Course Links
Follow this link to move on to Unit 3
Demystifying Scholarly Journals: Unit 3
Follow this link to go back to the course page:
Demystifying Scholarly Journals
References
Cheng Library. [Cheng Library] (2019, August 6). Parts of a research article @ The Cheng Library. [video] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3eXjRN1s7Q
Earp, V. (n.d.). LibGuides: Family life education methodology: Parts of a research article. kent.edu. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://libguides.library.kent.edu/c.php?g=277963&p=1855011
How to Read a Scholarly Article. (n.d.). mxcc.edu. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://mxcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/How-to-read-a-scholarly-article_rev7_2016.pdf
Pinfield, S., & Middleton, C. (2016). Researchers’ adoption of an institutional central fund for open-access article-processing charges: A case study using innovation diffusion theory. SAGE Open, 6(1), 2158244015625447. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015625447
Team, R. (n.d.). LibGuides: Identify the major parts of a research article. marymount.edu. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://marymount.libguides.com/parts/home
Trower, S. (n.d.). LibGuides: Extended essay: Create an annotated bibliography. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/ee/annotated-bibliography