Academic reading - how to do this effectively
Read Articles Strategically
Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars and for scholars, usually within a subject discipline. The main purpose is to report new findings to other scholars in the field. Since the scholars already share a highly specialized background, they assume their readers already understand some of the fundamental knowledge or jargon in the field. However, as a student or junior scholar, you may not yet have developed that knowledge, so reading journal articles can be a challenging task. However, there are ways to help you read better, and get the most of an article to support your research work.
Key take-aways
- Read Abstract first to check if the article is relevant to your research topic
- Scan section headings. Think about what information you need and where you might find it
- Check keywords and use them to refine your next search
- Look at the reference list for additional sources
- Read figures or tables to understand the findings in greater detail
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1177484/how_to_read_effectively.pdf
Other useful sources:
- Reading in the Humanities and Social Sciences
- #Grad Hack. A guide to reading research articles
- Reading Research : Strategies to do it effectively
Short guide from Harold Washington College
Slideshow from the University of New England. Introduces methods of reading and how to annotate materials.
A Guide to Reading and Analysing Academic Articles
A guide from Yukon College, discussing the steps for effective reading of academic articles
How to Read a Psychology Article
Class website from UIC. Includes specific information about how to read articles in Psychology
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Tutorial on how to identify parts of a scholarly article. Created by North Carolina State University.