How To Read a Scholarly Journal Article

Kishwaukee College Library

21 Aug 201205:11

Summary

TLDRThis script offers a guide to efficiently reading scholarly articles. It emphasizes starting with a clear research question, using keywords to find relevant articles, and beginning with the abstract to gauge relevance. The script advises skimming the introduction for key ideas, noting references for context, and focusing on sections like results and discussion for findings. It also highlights the importance of understanding methods and using the references section for further reading, ultimately saving time while enhancing comprehension.

Takeaways

📚 Start with a clear topic statement or research question to guide your reading.
🔍 Identify search keywords to find relevant scholarly articles in databases like EBSCOhost.
📖 Read the Abstract first to determine the article's relevance to your topic.
👀 Skim the Introduction for key ideas and references to other studies.
🔍 Look for main points and potential flaws in the study to understand the author's perspective.
🔎 Trust the findings as the article has undergone peer review.
📊 Skip to the Conclusion or Discussion section for the researcher's key findings.
📈 Read the Results section for detailed findings, including statistics and narrative discussions.
🔬 Check the Methods section to understand the type of research conducted and its details.
📝 Consider the author's recommendations for further research in the field.
🔗 Utilize the References section to explore the topic in more depth.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of reading the abstract of a scholarly article?
-The main purpose of reading the abstract is to get a summary of the article, which helps to decide if it's relevant to the topic of interest.
Why is it beneficial to note key terms used by professionals in scholarly articles?
-Noting key terms like 'cyberbullying' is beneficial as they could be useful for future searches and understanding the specific language of the field.
What does the author suggest doing before reading a scholarly article?
-The author suggests having a clear topic statement or research question in mind before reading a scholarly article.
What is the significance of the term 'parental mediation' in the context of the article?
-In the context of the article, 'parental mediation' refers to the role parents play in regulating their children's online activities, which is identified as an important factor in cyberbullying.
Why does the author recommend looking at the conclusion or discussion section before reading the entire article?
-The author recommends looking at the conclusion or discussion section first because it tells what the researcher discovered, which can pique the reader's interest and guide further reading.
What is the typical structure of a research article according to the script?
-The typical structure of a research article includes an Abstract, Introduction, Results, Discussion (or Conclusion), and a References section.
Why might the author of the article mention potential flaws in their study?
-Mentioning potential flaws in a study demonstrates the author's honesty and transparency, and it also provides context for the reader to understand the limitations of the research findings.
What does the author suggest doing if you find statistics in a research article?
-The author suggests reading the narrative discussion of the results or glancing first at a stats table to get a quick visual overview of the findings.
What information can be found in the Methods section of a research article?
-The Methods section provides information about the type of research conducted, how it was conducted, and details about the participants.
Why is the References section important at the end of a scholarly article?
-The References section is important because it allows readers to explore the topic in more detail and understand the breadth of research that the author has drawn upon.
What advice does the author give for efficiently reading a scholarly article?
-The author advises to focus on specific sections relevant to the research question, such as the abstract, introduction, results, and discussion, rather than reading the entire article word-for-word.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Scholarly Article Reading Techniques

The paragraph discusses strategies for reading scholarly articles efficiently. It emphasizes not reading every word and starting with a clear research question or topic statement. The example given is about the relationship between social networking sites and bullying in schools. The author demonstrates how to find relevant articles using keywords and introduces an article titled 'Parental mediation: Online activities and cyber-bullying' by Mesch. The process includes reading the abstract first for relevance, noting key terms, and then proceeding to the introduction for a broader understanding. The author also mentions the importance of understanding the study's methodology, results, and the author's honesty about potential flaws. The paragraph concludes by suggesting that after identifying key findings, one might read the results section in detail and mentions the importance of the references section for further research.

05:02

🤔 Seeking Further Assistance for Scholarly Research

This paragraph offers guidance for those needing additional help in finding scholarly journal articles. It suggests viewing video tutorials or contacting librarians at the reference desk for assistance.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Scholarly Article

A scholarly article is a research-based piece of writing published in a peer-reviewed journal, contributing to the academic discourse in a specific field. In the video's context, the article 'Parental mediation: Online activities and cyber-bullying' is a scholarly article that provides insights into the role of parenting in cyberbullying. It is used as a case study to demonstrate how to effectively read and extract information from scholarly literature.

💡Abstract

An abstract is a concise summary of a scholarly article, providing a brief overview of the research, methods, results, and conclusions. In the video, the abstract is read first to determine the relevance of the article to the research question, 'how to use social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube contribute to bullying in schools, and how can this situation be prevented?'

💡Research Question

A research question is a specific inquiry that guides a study and helps to focus the research. The video mentions a clear research question as a prerequisite for reading scholarly articles effectively. It sets the stage for understanding how the article's findings can be applied to answer broader questions about cyberbullying.

💡Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying refers to the use of electronic communication to bully others, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. The term is highlighted as a key concept in the article and is central to the video's theme. It is used to discuss the phenomenon and its relation to parental mediation and online activities.

💡Parental Mediation

Parental mediation is the process by which parents influence their children's media use. In the context of the video, it is a main point of the scholarly article, suggesting that how parents manage their children's online activities can affect the likelihood of cyberbullying.

💡Peer Review

Peer review is a process where scholars in the same field evaluate each other's work to maintain quality and credibility. The video mentions that the article went through peer review, which lends credibility to the findings and suggests that the research has been scrutinized by experts in the field.

💡Findings

Findings in a research context refer to the results or discoveries made during a study. The video discusses how the author's findings, such as the role of parental education in bullying, are presented in the Results section and how these findings can be of interest to the viewer's research question.

💡Methods

The Methods section of a research article describes how the study was conducted. In the video, it is mentioned that this section will tell what kind of research was done (a survey in this case), how it was conducted, and details about the participants, which is crucial for understanding the validity and applicability of the study's results.

💡Results

Results are the data collected and analyzed during a study. The video script mentions reading the Results section to understand the author's findings in detail, including statistical data that provides insights into the relationship between parental mediation and cyberbullying.

💡Discussion

The Discussion section of a research article interprets the results and places them in the context of existing research. In the video, it is noted that this section (referred to as 'Conclusion' in some articles) provides insights into what the researcher discovered and how it relates to the broader field of study.

💡References

References are the citations of works that have been used in the research article. They are highlighted in the video as a resource for further reading and as evidence of the scholarly process of building upon existing knowledge. The References section allows readers to delve deeper into the topic and understand the context of the research.

Highlights

Reading scholarly articles requires a different approach than reading novels.

You don't need to read every word from beginning to end initially.

Having a clear topic statement or research question is essential before reading.

Keywords are identified to find scholarly articles in databases like EBSCOhost.

The article 'Parental mediation: Online activities and cyber-bullying' is chosen for its relevance.

Reading the Abstract first helps determine the article's relevance to your topic.

Key terms like 'cyberbullying' are noted for future searches.

The introduction is skimmed for key ideas and references to other studies.

Parental mediation is highlighted as a main point in the study.

The author's honesty is noted by pointing out potential flaws in the study.

The article has undergone peer review, indicating reliability of findings.

The Discussion section provides the researcher's findings.

It's acceptable to skip to the end to understand the study's conclusions.

Interesting findings about rules for visiting websites are highlighted.

The Results section is read in detail for specific findings and statistics.

The narrative discussion and stats table offer different perspectives on the results.

The Methods section explains the type of research conducted and its details.

The author recommends further research in the field.

The References section is valuable for further reading on the topic.

The process of reading scholarly articles helps advance knowledge in the field.

The article provides excellent material for quoting or summarizing in research papers.

Knowing what sections to look for and having a clear research focus saves time.

Further help with finding scholarly articles can be obtained from video tutorials or librarians.