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Sociology 20 (Xiong)

Social Problems

Strategies for Reading a Scholarly Article

#1 Jump Around

  • On your first time around, read the sections that will help you determine if you want to read more deeply.

#2 Read Strategically; Ask Questions

  • Read the article looking for very specific information.  Example:  How does the article relate to my research project?  See handout for key questions.

#3 Mark up the Article

  • Interact with the article by highlighting and making notes.

#4 Cut through the Jargon

#5 Read & Repeat

  • If the article appears useful, re-read again.  This time you may wish to tackle it from beginning to end.

#6 Go to the Sources

  • Skim the titles found in the Reference section.  Are there other sources relevant to your research?

Adapted from: https://libguides.valdosta.edu/reading-scholarly-articles

Anatomy of an Article

Image of generic article with lines indicating the location of title, introduction, authors, author affiliations, abstract, author summary, materials and methods, results (with figures), discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements, author contributions, references

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article: Interactive Tutorial

Article for Review

Meldrum, Ryan Charles, John H. Boman, and Sinchul Back. 2019. “Low Self-Control, Social Learning, and Texting While Driving.” American Journal of Criminal Justice 44(2):191–210.

Handout

Questions for Analyzing a Scholarly Article (Google Doc)

How To Read a Scholarly Article

from Western Libraries (2:34)