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Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

TIP: When possible, keep your research question(s) in mind when reading scholarly articles. It will help you to focus your reading.

Title : Generally are straightforward and describe what the article is about. Titles often include relevant key words.

Abstract : A summary of the author(s)'s research findings and tells what to expect when you read the full article. It is often a good idea to read the abstract first, in order to determine if you should even bother reading the whole article.

Discussion and Conclusion : Read these after the Abstract (even though they come at the end of the article). These sections can help you see if this article will meet your research needs. If you don’t think that it will, set it aside.

Introduction : Describes the topic or problem researched. The authors will present the thesis of their argument or the goal of their research.

Literature Review : May be included in the introduction or as its own separate section. Here you see where the author(s) enter the conversation on this topic. That is to say, what related research has come before, and how do they hope to advance the discussion with their current research?

Methods : This section explains how the study worked. In this section, you often learn who and how many participated in the study and what they were asked to do. You will need to think critically about the methods and whether or not they make sense given the research question.

Results : Here you will often find numbers and tables. If you aren't an expert at statistics this section may be difficult to grasp. However you should attempt to understand if the results seem reasonable given the methods.

Works Cited (also be called References or Bibliography ): This section comprises the author(s)’s sources. Always be sure to scroll through them. Good research usually cites many different kinds of sources (books, journal articles, etc.). As you read the Works Cited page, be sure to look for sources that look like they will help you to answer your own research question.

Adapted from http://library.hunter.cuny.edu/research-toolkit/how-do-i-read-stuff/anatomy-of-a-scholarly-article

A research journal is a periodical that contains articles written by experts in a particular field of study who report the results of research in that field. The articles are intended to be read by other experts or students of the field, and they are typically much more sophisticated and advanced than the articles found in general magazines. This guide offers some tips to help distinguish scholarly journals from other periodicals.

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH JOURNALS

PURPOSE : Research journals communicate the results of research in the field of study covered by the journal. Research articles reflect a systematic and thorough study of a single topic, often involving experiments or surveys. Research journals may also publish review articles and book reviews that summarize the current state of knowledge on a topic.

APPEARANCE : Research journals lack the slick advertising, classified ads, coupons, etc., found in popular magazines. Articles are often printed one column to a page, as in books, and there are often graphs, tables, or charts referring to specific points in the articles.

AUTHORITY : Research articles are written by the person(s) who did the research being reported. When more than two authors are listed for a single article, the first author listed is often the primary researcher who coordinated or supervised the work done by the other authors. The most highly‑regarded scholarly journals are typically those sponsored by professional associations, such as the American Psychological Association or the American Chemical Society.

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY : Articles submitted to research journals are evaluated by an editorial board and other experts before they are accepted for publication. This evaluation, called peer review, is designed to ensure that the articles published are based on solid research that meets the normal standards of the field of study covered by the journal. Professors sometimes use the term "refereed" to describe peer-reviewed journals.

WRITING STYLE : Articles in research journals usually contain an advanced vocabulary, since the authors use the technical language or jargon of their field of study. The authors assume that the reader already possesses a basic understanding of the field of study.

REFERENCES : The authors of research articles always indicate the sources of their information. These references are usually listed at the end of an article, but they may appear in the form of footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography.

PERIODICALS THAT ARE NOT RESEARCH JOURNALS

POPULAR MAGAZINES : These are periodicals that one typically finds at grocery stores, airport newsstands, or bookstores at a shopping mall. Popular magazines are designed to appeal to a broad audience, and they usually contain relatively brief articles written in a readable, non‑technical language.

Examples include: Car and Driver , Cosmopolitan , Esquire , Essence , Gourmet , Life , People Weekly , Readers' Digest , Rolling Stone , Sports Illustrated , Vanity Fair , and Vogue .

NEWS MAGAZINES : These periodicals, which are usually issued weekly, provide information on topics of current interest, but their articles seldom have the depth or authority of scholarly articles.

Examples include: Newsweek , Time , U.S. News and World Report .

OPINION MAGAZINES : These periodicals contain articles aimed at an educated audience interested in keeping up with current events or ideas, especially those pertaining to topical issues. Very often their articles are written from a particular political, economic, or social point of view.

Examples include: Catholic World , Christianity Today , Commentary , Ms. , The Militant , Mother Jones , The Nation , National Review , The New Republic , The Progressive , and World Marxist Review .

TRADE MAGAZINES : People who need to keep up with developments in a particular industry or occupation read these magazines. Many trade magazines publish one or more special issues each year that focus on industry statistics, directory lists, or new product announcements.

Examples include: Beverage World , Progressive Grocer , Quick Frozen Foods International , Rubber World , Sales and Marketing Management , Skiing Trade News , and Stores .

Literature Reviews

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• The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It Contains two sets of questions to help students review articles, and to review their own literature reviews.
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What is a journal article? (What is an article?)

Definitions.

Journal articles are shorter than books and written about very specific topics. 

A  journal  is a collection of articles (like a magazine) that is published regularly throughout the year. Journals present the most recent research, and journal articles are written by experts, for experts. They may be published in print or online formats, or both. 

Sample images

The front cover of a sample academic journal ( PORTAL: Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies ). Note that it includes a year, as well as "Vol." (for "Volume") and "No." (for "Number"). Because journals are published regularly, this information identifies different issues (like month and year on a popular magazine).

A sample table of contents from the same academic journal, listing the articles that appear in this issue. (Note: When accessing journals online, articles are usually available as separate PDF documents.)

A sample  article (first page) from the same academic journal:

More information

Finding academic or scholarly journal articles Tips for searching for journal articles in the Library.

What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal ? For the differences between scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications -- and when to use them.

Finding and evaluating sources Searching for and evaluating sources on the open web, with tips for evaluating all sources, including journals and journal articles.

What is peer review? What is a peer-reviewed journal? What peer review means and how to tell if a journal is peer-reviewed.

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Finding and Reading Journal Articles

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Why are articles so important to research?

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Journal articles are the academic's stock in trade, t he basic means of communicating research findings to an audience of one’s peers. That holds true across the disciplinary spectrum, so no matter where you land as a concentrator, you can expect to rely on them heavily. 

Regardless of the discipline, moreover,  journal articles perform an important knowledge-updating function .

Textbooks and handbooks and manuals will have a secondary function for chemists and physicists and biologists, of course. But in the sciences, articles are the standard and  preferred publication form. 

In the social sciences and humanities , where knowledge develops a little less rapidly or is driven less by issues of time-sensitivity , journal articles and books are more often used together.

Not all important and influential ideas warrant book-length studies, and some inquiry is just better suited to the size and scope and concentrated discussion that the article format offers.

Journal articles sometimes just present the most  appropriate  solution for communicating findings or making a convincing argument.  A 20-page article may perfectly fit a researcher's needs.  Sustaining that argument for 200 pages might be unnecessary -- or impossible.

The quality of a research article and the legitimacy of its findings are verified by other scholars, prior to publication, through a rigorous evaluation method called peer-review . This seal of approval by other scholars doesn't mean that an article is the best, or truest, or last word on a topic. If that were the case, research on lots of things would cease. Peer review simply means other experts believe the methods, the evidence, the conclusions of an article have met important standards of legitimacy, reliability, and intellectual honesty.

Searching the journal literature is part of being a responsible researcher at any level: professor, grad student, concentrator, first-year. Knowing why academic articles matter will help you make good decisions about what you find -- and what you choose to rely on in your work.

Think of journal articles as the way you tap into the ongoing scholarly conversation , as a way of testing the currency of  a finding, analysis, or argumentative position, and a way of bolstering the authority (or plausibility) of explanations you'll offer in the papers and projects you'll complete at Harvard. 

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Characteristics of a Scholarly Journal

Purpose To communicate the results of recent research in the field of study covered by the journal. Scholarly articles reflect a systematic and thorough study of a single topic, often involving experiments or surveys. Scholarly journals may also occasionally publish review articles that summarize the current state of knowledge on a topic.

Appearance Scholarly journals lack the advertising, colorful graphics, and photographs found in popular magazines. The articles are often lengthy, will begin with an abstract, and may include graphs, tables, or charts. Articles will include the name of the author or authors and a list of references.

Authority Scholarly articles are written by the person(s) who did the research being reported. When more than two authors are listed for a single article, the first author listed is usually the primary researcher who supervised or coordinated the work done by the other authors. The most highly-regarded scholarly journals are usually those sponsored by professional associations; for example, the American Psychological Association and the American Chemical Society.

Validity and Reliability Articles submitted to scholarly journals are evaluated by an editorial board and other experts before they are accepted for publication. This evaluation, often called " peer reviewed ," is designed to insure that the articles published are based on solid research that meets the normal standards of the field of study covered by the journal.

Writing Style Articles in scholarly journals are usually in-depth and contain an advanced vocabulary, since the authors use the technical language or jargon of their field of study. Articles are not written for the general public in that the authors assume the reader already possesses a basic understanding of the field of study.

References The authors of scholarly articles always list the sources of their information. These references are usually listed at the end of an article, but they may appear in the form of footnotes, endnotes or a bibliography.

How to Determine if a Periodical is a Scholarly Journal

What to Look For in a Scholarly Journal Article

• Abstract: An article from a scholarly journal will have an abstract- a summary on what the article is about.
• Author's Credentials: Articles in scholarly journals are written by experts or researchers in a particular field of study. Look for advanced degrees or credentials attached to an author's name (i.e. M.S., Ph.D, M.D., etc) as well as their affiliations with particular institutions. 
• Journal Name:  The name of the journal is going to be professional in nature, and many are published via a professional organization or university press. 
• Purpose:  The purpose of the article is academic and/or scientific in nature, and reports on original research in a particular field of study. 
• Language:  Articles are written for professionals in the field or for those in academia, so technical language is used, and knowledge or familiarity is expected of the audience. 
• References:  Scholarly articles will always list the sources of their information. These sources can appear as references at the end of an article, but can also include footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography. 
• Charts, Graphs, Statistics: Some scholarly journal articles will include charts, graphs, and statistics in order to demonstrate their results or how they achieved their results.
• DOI Number:  A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a unique string of numbers and letters used to permanently identify an article and link it on the web. DOIs are primarily assigned to academic journal articles and research reports. Many scholarly articles will have DOIs attached to them. 
• Peer-Review Process:  The peer review process can be lengthy. An article is reviewed by professional peers to ensure that properly conducted research, experimentation, and writing is done before the article can be published. 
• Literature Review:  Some scholarly journals also publish literature reviews or an article may contain a literature review within it. A literature review is a summary of what is currently known about the topic. The review may not say "literature review," within the article itself.   Example:  Information Literacy Research: Dimensions of the Emerging Collective Consciousness
• Literary Criticism: Scholarly journals also publish literary criticism, which is the study, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works, which can be influenced by literary theories.   Example:   Bram Stoker's Ireland: A Complex National Identity
• Other Information: May also include acknowledgments, conflicts of interest, if any, and funding information. This may be located either at the beginning or the end of the article. 

In the Sanctuary of Animals: Honoring God's Creatures through Ritual and Relationship

The Eighteen of 1918–1919: Black Nurses and the Great Flu Pandemic in the United States

Promoting College and Career Readiness: Practical Strategies for the Classroom

Working Backwards: How Employment Regulation Hurts Unemployed Millennials 

Empirical Research Articles

Empirical research articles report primary research based on observations or experiments in a particular field of study. Qualitative research uses observation methods to analyze behaviors, beliefs, feelings, or values and gather non-numerical data. Quantitative research uses numerical data and statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques to measure, analyze, and explain phenomena or causal relationships.  

REMEMBER: Empirical Research Articles are from scholarly or professional journals and are peer-reviewed. They will have the same criteria as scholarly articles listed above (abstract, references, DOI, etc.) but will also have the following criteria: 

What to Look For in an Empirical Research Article:

• Introduction : An empirical study will have an introduction or “literature review”, which will be a summary of what is currently known about the topic. It can include theoretical frameworks and information about previous studies as well.
• Methodology: Describes how to recreate the study and discusses the population, research process, analytical tools, and any other important information related to the study.
• Results : May also appear as “findings.” Discusses what was learned in the study. Might present statistical data, quotes from the participants, graphs, charts, and other information.
• Discussion : May also be called “conclusion” or “implications” or will have a separate section for this under the discussion portion of the study. This part of the article will describe why the study is important. Can also describe how the research results can or will influence the field itself, or what changes, if any, may occur due to the findings of the study. May also include a section titled "limitations," describing what limitations should be taken into account. 
• Professional Journals: addressed to a professional audience and may contain research articles, reports, and practical information applicable to a field of study. Use professional journals if they are peer-reviewed and have the previously cited criteria. 
• Other Information:  An empirical research article can also include information sections on funding, acknowledgments, author contributions, as well as ethics and consent to participate approval. This may appear either at the beginning or the end of the article. 
• References:  Articles will always list their sources of their information. These sources can appear as references at the end of an article, but can include footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography. 

Alternative Terminology to use when Searching the Databases instead of "Empirical Research":

• Case Studies                                                            •  Longitudinal Method
• Fieldwork/ Field Studies                                           •  Statistics
• Experimental Studies                                               •  Research Methodology
• Qualitative Studies                                                   •  Analysis of Variance
• Quantitative Studies                                                 •  Correlation (Statistics) 
• Action Research                                                       •  Data Analysis
• Evaluation Methods/Research                                 •  Research
• Mixed Methods Research                                        •  Psychological Tests
• Descriptive Statistics                                                •  Statistical Sampling 
• Questionnaires                                                         •  Scale Analysis (Psychology)

Come Together: Case Specific Cross-Institutional Cooperation of Youth Welfare Services and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 

Matrix Training of Receptive Language Skills with a Toddler with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

A Dyadic Analysis of Power in Sibling and Friend Conflict in Early Childhood

Parenting Deferentially Influences the Development of Boys’ and Girls’ Inhibitory Control

Periodicals That Are Not Scholarly Journals

Popular Magazines These are periodicals that one typically finds at grocery stores, airport newsstands, or bookstores in a shopping mall. Magazines are designed to appeal to a broad segment of the population, and contain relatively brief articles written in a readable, non-technical language. Articles written for a wide audience and are useful when looking for information on current events, special topics and general interests. Examples include: Car and Driver , Essence , Rolling Stone , Sports Illustrated , and Psychology Today .

News Magazines These periodicals, which are usually issued weekly, can be useful for information on trending topics or current events, but their articles seldom have the depth or authority of scholarly articles. Examples include: Newsweek , Time , and U.S. News and World Report.

Professional Publications or Trade Journals These periodicals cover a specific profession or field of interest and report on developments, trends and news in a profession, trade, or industry. Advertising will be geared toward professionals in that specific field, and may include information promoting upcoming professional conferences.  Examples include: Library Journal , Young Children , and Nursing .

Popular databases to search for Scholarly and Peer Reviewed Sources

A multi-disciplinary database providing full-text articles for more than 6,600 magazines and scholarly journals, including full-text for nearly 6,000 peer-reviewed titles. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities.

After typing a search term, use the Select a Field option to refine your search: Subject (searches subject terms within the database) Abstract (searches terms within the article abstract) All Text (search the entire article) Under Limit your results check: "Full-Text" for full-text articles only "Scholarly Journals" for journal articles only

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• what's a journal?

What's a journal?

A journal is a scholarly publication containing articles written by researchers, professors and other experts. Journals focus on a specific discipline or field of study. Unlike newspapers and magazines, journals are intended for an academic or technical audience, not general readers.

Most journal articles...

• Are peer reviewed
• Have original research
• Focus on current developments
• Cite other works and have bibliographies
• Can be in print, online or both

Journals are published on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and are sequentially numbered.

Each copy is an issue ; a set of issues makes a volume (usually each year is a separate volume). Like newspapers and magazines, journals are also called periodicals or serials.

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Types of journal articles

It is helpful to familiarise yourself with the different types of articles published by journals. Although it may appear there are a large number of types of articles published due to the wide variety of names they are published under, most articles published are one of the following types; Original Research, Review Articles, Short reports or Letters, Case Studies, Methodologies.

Original Research:

This is the most common type of journal manuscript used to publish full reports of data from research. It may be called an  Original Article, Research Article, Research, or just  Article, depending on the journal. The Original Research format is suitable for many different fields and different types of studies. It includes full Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.

Short reports or Letters:

These papers communicate brief reports of data from original research that editors believe will be interesting to many researchers, and that will likely stimulate further research in the field. As they are relatively short the format is useful for scientists with results that are time sensitive (for example, those in highly competitive or quickly-changing disciplines). This format often has strict length limits, so some experimental details may not be published until the authors write a full Original Research manuscript. These papers are also sometimes called Brief communications .

Review Articles:

Review Articles provide a comprehensive summary of research on a certain topic, and a perspective on the state of the field and where it is heading. They are often written by leaders in a particular discipline after invitation from the editors of a journal. Reviews are often widely read (for example, by researchers looking for a full introduction to a field) and highly cited. Reviews commonly cite approximately 100 primary research articles.

TIP: If you would like to write a Review but have not been invited by a journal, be sure to check the journal website as some journals to not consider unsolicited Reviews. If the website does not mention whether Reviews are commissioned it is wise to send a pre-submission enquiry letter to the journal editor to propose your Review manuscript before you spend time writing it.  

Case Studies:

These articles report specific instances of interesting phenomena. A goal of Case Studies is to make other researchers aware of the possibility that a specific phenomenon might occur. This type of study is often used in medicine to report the occurrence of previously unknown or emerging pathologies.

Methodologies or Methods

These articles present a new experimental method, test or procedure. The method described may either be completely new, or may offer a better version of an existing method. The article should describe a demonstrable advance on what is currently available.

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Article Types: What's the Difference Between Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals?

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Journal Article Characteristics

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PMLA -- Publications of the Modern Language Association (an example of an academic journal)

Analyzing a Journal Article

Authors : Authors of journal articles are usually affiliated with universities, research institutions, or professional associations. Author degrees are usually specified with the author names, as are the affiliations.

Abstract : The article text is usually preceded with an abstract. The abstract will provide an overview of what the article discusses or reveals and frequently is useful in identifying articles that report the results of scientific studies. Use of Professional Terminology and Language: The language used in journal articles is specific to the subject matter being covered by the journal. For example, an article written for a psychological journal is written in an academic rather than popular style and will make heavy use of psychological terms.

In Text References : Journal articles normally will be profusely documented with sources that have provided information to the article authors and/or that provide further related information. Documentation of sources can be handled by in-text parenthetical references (MLA, APA, Chicago sciences styles), by the use of footnotes (Chicago humanities style), or by the use of endnotes (Turabian style). Individual journals will specify their own requirements for documentation.

Bibliography : Because journal articles use numerous sources as documentation, these sources are often referenced in an alphabetically or numerically arranged bibliography located at the end of the article. Format of the bibliography will vary depending on the documentation style used in the article.

Charts, Graphs, Tables, Statistical Data : Articles that result from research studies will often include statistical data gathered during the course of the studies. These data are often presented in charts and tables.

Length of Article : Journal articles, in general, tend to be fairly lengthy, often consisting of a dozen or more pages. Some journals also publish book reviews. These are typically brief and should not be confused with the full-length research articles that the journal focuses on.

Use of volume and issue numbering : Journals normally make use of volume and issue numbering to help identify individual issues in their series. Normally a volume will encompass an entire year's worth of a journal's issues. For example, a journal that is published four times yearly (quarterly) will have four issues in its yearly volume. Issues may be identified solely with numbers or with both numbers and date designations. For example, a quarterly journal will typically number its issues 1 through 4, but it might also assign season designations to the individual numbers, such as Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. A monthly journal will have twelve issues in a yearly volume and might use the month names along with the issue numbers (issue 1, January; issue 2, February; and so on). Some magazines, trade publications, and newspapers might also make use of volume and issue numbering, so this isn't always the best indicator.

Subject Focus : Journals typically gather and publish research that focuses on a very specific field of inquiry, like criminology, or southern history, or statistics.

Overall Appearance : Journals are typically heavy on text and light on illustration. Journal covers tend toward the plain with an emphasis on highlighting key research articles that appear within a particular issue.

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_Biology: What is a Journal Article?

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What are Journal Articles?

• Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

Academic journal articles are reports of an expert's original research, analysis, or review of the research available on a topic . These specialized reports are published in journals, which are publications aimed at professionals and scholars.

Here is a link to a tutorial developed by North Carolina State University Libraries that shows  which parts make up a journal article, such as the title, author, abstract, introduction, publication information, charts and graphs, conclusion, and references.

In general, journal articles usually have the following parts:

• Introduction
• Tables and/or figures

What are Periodical Articles?

A periodical is a collection of articles and images about diverse topics of popular interest and current events, or diverse interests and current events in a subject, like science or history. There are many types of periodicals.

Popular magazines and newspapers contain articles that usually are written by journalists and are geared toward the average adult . Use these to stay updated on current news in your area and as a tool to give you ideas for topics to research for an academic paper. 

Academic or scholarly journals contain articles that are written by  scholars and are geared toward specialists or experts in a specific field.  Use these to research deeply into specific areas.  These are often used for academic papers and may require you to use a dictionary.  Here is a tutorial about how to read these very specific articles:  http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/

Journal Article Search Tips

LImit your results to articles that are peer-reviewed and from the last five years , unless you need research for historical purposes.

Read the abstract, or summary,   of a journal article to help you decide if it's an article you'd like to pursue. Look for important words the author uses in the summary for ideas for keywords . Sometimes there is also a list of keywords underneath an abstract.

Journals are  not always found freely online . As a Merced College student, however, you have  free access to academic journals through the library databases or Interlibrary Loan. 

Because these are professional sources of information, journal articles are  not the best resources to use for basic or background information . While experts do use statistics in their reports, if you need specific statistics there are more direct resources you can use, rather than digging through the database. These statistics are often available for free online or in library reference books. 

How to Read a Journal Article Result

• How to Read a Journal Article Citation

Use this handout to help you figure out the parts of a journal article record. This will help you when you need to put your works cited page together. 

• How to "Pre-Read" an academic article This video will help you to "pre-read" or put an article in context so you are able to read it more easily. It's a learned skill!

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