Scholarly Research Articles: Welcome

Research Study Article Characteristics

Journal articles written to disseminate the results of original research share some common characteristics:

• They are long - often 10-20 pages in length.
• They have a LOT of citations at the end.  You can review these to look for more information for your research!
• They usually contain charts and graphs but not glossy pictures like you would see in an issue of People or National Geographic.
• They are written at an elevated, academic level and directed at others who work in the same field.
• Their titles are very specific and provide a lot of information about what the article covers.

Articles sharing original research studies also have a pretty standard format. Click to find out more about each section and to see samples of what they look like.

• Abstract
• Introduction (often includes a literature review)
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion/Conclusion
• References

Click on the link below for help generating keywords for database searches and for a video that reviews what peer review is and how it works.

Additional Resources

Watch the video below for an overview of scholarly research articles and a recommendation for what order to read them in.

Works Cited

Information for this guide was adapted from:

• BSCI 1510L Literature and Stats Guide: 3.2 Components of a Scientific Paper from Vanderbilt University
• Major Parts of a Research Article from Marymount University Library & Learning Services

Activity

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