Scholarly articles in the Arts and Humanities are set up differently than in the Sciences. Articles may read more like essays, rather than reports on scientific experiments.
In the Humanities, scholars are not conducting experiments on participants but rather are making logical arguments based on the evidence they have researched and analyzed.
In literature, for example, a scholar may be studying a particular novel of an author. In history, a scholar may look at the primary source documents from the time period they are studying.
The following sections are generally included in humanities scholarly articles, although they may not be clearly marked or labeled.
Abstract |
A summary of the research provided at the beginning of the article, although sometimes articles do not have an abstract. |
Introduction |
Provides background information for the topic being studied. The article's thesis will be found in the introduction, and may also include a brief literature review. |
Discussion/Conclusion |
The discussion likely runs through the entire article and is the main component of the article providing analysis, criticism, etc.The conclusion wraps up the article; both sections usually are not labeled. |
Works Cited |
List of sources cited in the article by the author(s). |