It is essential for clinicians, researchers, and students to regularly read
articles from scientific journals. This is not only to maintain knowledge of
progress in the specialty concerned but also to be aware of current trends
in my particular field. As I am focused on working with adolescents with
addictions, I chose a journal article regarding this subject; “Neurobiology
of Adolescent Substance Use and Addictive Behaviors: Prevention and
Treatment Implications”. In this journal article, Hammond, Mayes, and
Potenza contend that an “Improved understanding of the neurobiology of
adolescence and addiction vulnerability has the potential to refine
screening, enhance prevention and intervention strategies, and inform
public policy” (2014). However, finding a good journal article that pertains
to my field of study was a little difficult to find. Is there an efficient
method of finding the right journal article?3
Upon first reading this article, I was daunted regarding where to actually
start. While the abstract is where I would have thought was the best
starting point, according to Jordan and Zanna, skimming the entire article
is the best approach to a new journal article (2009). This was quite helpful
because I was able to gain a better understanding of what was covered
throughout the entire article and how the authors presented their findings.
After skimming the article, I then read the abstract and the rest of the
article in order. While carefully reading through the article I took notes on
each section and wrote a few questions down regarding some things that I
may have not understood. Another important approach to reading
scholarly journals is to understand that the authors of the journal article
are not only trying to share information with the readers, they are also
trying to persuade the readers. They are essentially trying to sell the
readers (Hammond et al., 2009). Therefore, it is important to maintain
objectivity when reading through a journal article. It is also important to
understand that there is always more than one interpretation of the
findings of researchers (Hammond et al., 2009).
One thing I’m trying to work out now is how to critically review a journal
article. I’m trying to figure out what questions to consider and how to
present my findings.3
Hammond, C. J., Mayes, L. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2014). Neurobiology of
adolescent substance use and addictive behaviors: treatment
implications. Adolescent medicine:3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 state of the art reviews,
25(1), 15–32.
Jordan, C.H., & Zanna, M.P. (2009). How to Read a Journal Article in Social
Psychology.
