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Fall 2025 Library Workshop Series: I Found These Scholarly Articles, Now What?

Welcome!

Welcome to: Getting the Most out of Scholarly Sources!

Our goals today are:

1. To learn about the parts of a scholarly article.

2. To discuss how to "read" these articles.

3. Explore different tools that will help with annotation.

4. Talk about how to use these sources in your writing.

 

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF A SCHOLARLY ARTICLE? 

We've already discussed the differences between articles in newspapers, articles in magazines (popular sources), and articles in scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals.  But what are the key components of a scholarly article, and why is is important to know them? 

  • ABSTRACT
    • ​An Abstract provides a brief synopsis of the article.  The synopsis includes a succinct explanation of the previous science published on the topic, a description of the methods used for the study, and an overview of the results.  Keywords that can be used to search the article are also provided.
  • INTRODUCTION / LITERATURE REVIEW
    • ​​The Literature Review can be one of the most confusing concepts in research.  The Literature Review (sometimes called the introduction) is a compilation of all of the previous science published on the subject of the article. The Literature Review sets a backdrop to the methodology and results of the study.
  • METHODS / METHODOLOGY
    • The methodology is an explanation of the scientific process used to collect and analyze the data from a particular study.  For example, we want to conduct a study that analyzes whether consuming one glass of red wine daily reduces the chances of having a heart attack.  The methodology would describe the participants of the study, the materials used in data collection, the process in which the data is collected, the variables involved within the study, and the problems that the study encountered.  The methodology is heavily scrutinized during the peer-review process because it is the cornerstone of each individual study.
  • RESULTS / DISCUSSION
    • This section describes the results of the study.  Specific statistical tables and values are often included in the results section.  The discussion portion describes the impact of the study based on the results in comparison to the previously published science compiled in the literature review.  This is normally the best part of a scholarly article to extract your citations from considering that this describes the important consequences of the study on science.  

REFERENCES

  • The references are simply a list of all of the previous publications used in the article.  This section is formatted in a citation style.  Occasionally, individual publishers, associations, or journals will utilize their own style.  Students in the social sciences typically use APA (American Psychological Association) style to format their papers.  The reference list is also a good place to find other articles while building your literature review.  This process is called chaining.

We Can Read Sections Out of Order!

This is sometimes referred to as the "Reverse Oreo" method: unlike an Oreo cookie, where the best part is (arguably) the middle, when we read scholarly articles the best parts are on the outside (Intro, Conclusion...)!

 

Name the Section

Note Taking Strategies

  • There are many ways to take notes on your readings, this is a personal preference!
  • Pay attention to what each section is about. The Abstract, Discussion, and Conclusion sections usually have the most important information (reverse oreo!).
  • Take notes while you are reading (that way you don't have to go back and re-read it when you write your paper).
  • Write summarizing notes for main points in the margin, or on a separate piece of paper.
  • Highlight only very important quotes or terms.

Tools for Annotation

Integrating Sources into Your Paper

When you summarize, you are condensing the author's main points. You are highlighting the most relevant parts without including all of the background information and examples.

When you paraphrase, you are restating the author's ideas in your own words. Where a summary provides your readers with a condensed overview of a source (or part of a source), a paraphrase of a source offers your readers the same level of detail provided in the original source.

Use quotes sparingly! Quotes are best used when you're discussing the actual language used by the author.

What is true for all of the integration methods we discussed?
They should all be used the same amount within a paper.: 0 votes (0%)
They all require citations.: 8 votes (88.89%)
Only direct quotes require citations.: 1 votes (11.11%)
Total Votes: 9