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How to Read a Research Study Article in a Scholarly Journal A research study article will consistently contain the following sections Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References. Some section names may vary, e.g., the Methods section might be called Research Methods or Methodology. If you do not find these sections in a journal article, then you do not have a research study article. The sections contain the following information: ABSTRACT Summarizes the key points of the article: the purpose of the study and a hypothesis, the methodology used, who was studied, and the findings. Read this first, but do not rely on it solely to draw conclusions about the study. INTRODUCTION Contains a survey of the relevant background for a study, a context for the study, and the hypothesis (i.e., the specific predictions to be tested). It will usually contain a review of previous studies on the same topic and may even be called a Literature Review. Questions readers might ask themselves as they read this section:

 What question did the researchers want to answer?  What is the overall purpose of the research? What larger question is this a part of? How does

the research fit into the context of its field? Is it, for example, attempting to settle a controversy? Show the validity of a new technique? Open up a new field of inquiry?

 What is the author’s rationale for studying the question in the way he or she did?  What is the background of this topic? What are some of the most important past findings on this

topic? How did the past studies lead the authors to do this particular study?  What are the hypotheses of this study and the ways the authors planned to test it?

METHODS Describes the approach taken in the study. This section provides detailed information on the research instrument used to generate the study’s data, (e.g., the questionnaire used for a survey), subjects (e.g., the people – let us say they were women between the ages of 50 and 70 – who were asked to fill out a survey), procedures, and the approach to data analysis. May also be called Methods and Materials. Questions readers might ask themselves as they read this section:

 Who were the participants in the study, how many were there, what was the sex and ethnicity of the parents, and how did the authors find them?

 Do the participants fairly represent the populations under study?  What methods did the researchers use in the study to try to answer their questions? Is the study

qualitative (based on interviews, ethnography, participant observation, or content analysis), quantitative (based on statistical analysis), or multi-method (both qualitative and quantitative in approach)?

 What was actually measured?  Were the measurements appropriate for the questions the researcher was approaching?

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 Often, researchers need to use “indicators” because they cannot measure something directly– for example, using babies’ birth weight to indicate nutritional status. Were the measures in this research clearly related to the variables in which the researchers (or you) were interested?

 Try to get a clear picture of what was done at each step. It is a good idea to make an outline and/or sketch of the procedures and instruments.

 Keep notes of your questions; some of them may be simply technical, but others may point to more fundamental considerations that you will use for reflection and criticism later.

RESULTS Summarizes and explains the data collected in the study, such as relationships among variables and/or differences among group. The analysis should directly reflect the predictions originally described in the journal article’s Introduction. This section also may make comparisons to clarify findings, or to explore unanticipated findings. Questions readers might ask themselves as they read this section:

 This section explains the statistical analyses that led the authors to their conclusions. It will test your knowledge of statistics and research terms such as correlation coefficient, dependent and independent variables, subject variables, main effect, interaction, and reliability, to name a few. At this stage in your studies, you are not expected to understand the statistical analysis done by the authors. Instead, focus on the text.

 What are the major findings?

 Was enough of the data presented or explained for you to judge for yourself how the experiment turned out?

 Did you see patterns or trends in the data that the author did not mention? Were there problems that were not addressed?

 Pay particular attention to tables and graphs. What kinds of data are presented in the tables and graphs and what do they tell us? The figures and tables are the heart of most papers. A scientist will often read the figures and tables before deciding whether it is worthwhile to read the rest of the article!

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION Analyzes and explains the results and draws conclusions in narrative form, as opposed to the statistics or numbers reviewed in the Results. The ways in which the study’s results coincide with the hypothesis and previous studies also will be examined, as well as suggestions for further studies on the topic. Questions readers might ask themselves as they read this section:

 Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the data?

 Are these conclusions over-generalized or appropriately careful?

 Are there other factors that could have influenced, or accounted for, the results?

 What further experiments would you think of, to continue the research or to answer remaining questions?

 What are the policy implications of the research findings and what future research do the authors suggest to contribute to this goal?

 What is the value of this research for real-life application and/or for public policy?

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 Did you find the research interesting? What did you learn from it? What more would you like to know?

Appendices, e.g., tables of findings, research tools such as survey questionnaires, and other materials may be presented at the end of the research report. REFERENCE SECTION Lists any resources mentioned in the article such as books and journals; may also list sources not directly used but relevant to the topic. NOTE: This list can help you find additional sources for your project! Now you are ready to read journal articles for your final project. Avoid reading the articles that you have selected from the first through to the last page, unless you are very familiar with the topic. Instead,

1. Start with the Abstract to get an overview. 2. Read the first paragraph or so of the Introduction to get a sense of the issue. Go to the last

paragraph of the Introduction to read the hypothesis. 3. Skim the Discussion to see how the study turned out. 4. Now, go back to the middle part for the details. Read the Methods section carefully and plan to

reread it, even a couple of times to digest it all. 5. Then, read the Results section. You may want to turn to the Discussion section for clarification

of what the reported statistics demonstrate. Do not let yourself get bogged down in the details of either the Methods or the Results section; just try to get a good idea of how the hypotheses were tested.

6. Read the Discussion section more closely. Finally, read the whole article, first page to last page. Reread for the greatest comprehension. This is the best time to take notes and synthesize your understanding of what you are reading. References Franzoi, S.L., & Ratlif-Crain, J. (2003). Guide to reading research articles. An instructor’s manual to accompany social psychology. (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Keyton, J. (2011). Communication research: Asking questions, finding answers. (3rd ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ©2018 University of Maryland University College