How To Read a Scholarly Journal Article
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
- π Start with a clear topic statement or research question to guide your reading.
- π Identify search keywords to find relevant scholarly articles in databases like EBSCOhost.
- π Read the Abstract first to determine the article's relevance to your topic.
- π Skim the Introduction for key ideas and references to other studies.
- π Look for main points and potential flaws in the study to understand the author's perspective.
- π Trust the findings as the article has undergone peer review.
- π Skip to the Conclusion or Discussion section for the researcher's key findings.
- π Read the Results section for detailed findings, including statistics and narrative discussions.
- π¬ Check the Methods section to understand the type of research conducted and its details.
- π Consider the author's recommendations for further research in the field.
- π 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
π 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.
π€ 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
π‘Scholarly Article
π‘Abstract
π‘Research Question
π‘Cyberbullying
π‘Parental Mediation
π‘Peer Review
π‘Findings
π‘Methods
π‘Results
π‘Discussion
π‘References
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.
Transcripts
Reading a scholarly article is different than reading a novel
You don't have to
read every word from beginning to end
at least not to start with. I'm going to
walk you through how I read a scholarly article in order to help you increase
your comprehension
while saving you some time. Before you begin reading be sure you have a clear
topic statement or research question in mind
Mine is, "how to use social networking sites
like Facebook and YouTube contribute to bullying in schools
and how can this situation be prevented?" Here I've identified some search
keywords which I've used to find a scholarly article
in an EBSCOhost database. The article I've chosen
is called "Parental mediation: Online activities and cyber-bullying"
written by a researcher named Mesch
and this is from the journal Cyber Psychology and Behavior
Let's open up the full text of this article and have a look
The first step is to read the Abstract
This is a summary of the article which will help me to decide if it's relevant
to my topic
This article is a research study on a fairly new topic in the field of psychology
It looks like they found that parenting is an important factor in cyberbullying
By the way it's good to make note of key terms like "cyberbullying" that the
professionals are using
This term could be useful for future searches
Based on the abstract I can see that this article may help me answer my
research question
so I'll go ahead and have a closer look. Rather than reading this nine-page
article word-for-word, I'll start
by reading the introduction. I'll just let my eyes can quickly over the sentences
looking for key ideas. I may want to paraphrase or quote these ideas later so
if I were reading this in print
I would highlight or underline them. I also notice that the author frequently
refers to other research studies
This is common practice in scholarly literature; the author is providing me some context
by summarizing what else has been published on this topic
If I wish, I may look up his cited articles later on
Here he gets into parental mediation, one of his main points
He also points out the potential flaws in his study
which gives him points for honesty. Still, this article went through the process of
peer review, so I can be pretty confident of his findings. Speaking of findings
there are some key sections that are typical of research articles like this
We've seen the Abstract and Introduction
You'll also find a Conclusion section near the end
It may be called something else; in this case it's called Discussion
but it basically tells us what the researcher discovered in doing his study
I'm going to skip to this section right now. Remember we're not reading a novel so
it's okay to peek at the ending
Some of Mesch's findings sound interesting to me so I highlight or underline them
Since he's piqued my curiosity about rules for visiting web sites
I'll go back to the Results section to read his findings in more detail
He goes into a lot of statistics, which is typical of a research study
Sometimes I read the narrative discussion of the results
but sometimes I glance first at a stats table to get a quick visual overview
For instance I quickly noticed that kids with more highly educated parents
weren't necessarily less likely to be bullied. I can read the narrative
description to find out why
Ah, here's where he talks about parental roles and how they seem to have a
beneficial effect
I'll probably read the results in more detail
but I should point out the Methods section; this section will tell me what
kind of research the author did,
a survey in this case, how it was conducted, and details about the participants
After discussing the results of his study the author recommends further
research that his colleagues in the field may want to do
Finally, don't overlook the References section at the end
This isn't just here to impress you with how much Dr. Mesch has read on this topic;
This list and the accompanying footnotes allow you to read on this topic in more
detail if you wish
That's part of the scholarly process -- helping others learn while advancing the
level of knowledge in one's
field of study. So, having read through this article for just a few minutes
I believe I have some excellent material to quote or summarize in my research paper
Of course I may want to go back and read this article from start to finish,
but by knowing what sections to look in and having a clear research focus
I've saved myself some time and have gotten some good results
If you need further help finding scholarly journal articles
please view the appropriate video tutorials or contact the librarians
at the reference desk
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