Scholarly journal articles are often long, dense, and complicated. It often takes a couple of readings to get everything out of one. By approaching them strategically, you can make the process much easier and more efficient.

Reading Order

1. Abstract (summary)
   • Is the article relevant enough to read in detail?
   • If it was assigned to you, the abstract will help you get an overview of the article before you dive in
2. Introduction and/or literature review
   • What is the article's purpose? What questions will it answer?
   • What other research has been done on this topic? What is the context for this author's work?
3. Discussion and/or conclusion
   • What are the author's key takeaways from their research? What was most important?
   • What additional questions need to be answered in future research?
4. Go back and read the parts you skipped.
   • Methodology and results 
     • Are the sample size, variables, and controls appropriate?
     • Look over any charts, tables, or other data provided.
   • Limitations section (if there is one).
     • What can or can't this research accomplish, according to the authors?
5. Works cited or references
   • Which related sources might be useful for your research?

Other Considerations

• Investigate the author's affiliation or institution.
  • Do they have appropriate authority and credentials?  
• Check for funding sources, corporate sponsorship, and affiliations.
  • Are there factors that reduce the integrity of the work?
• Look for retractions and related commentary articles.
  • Has the research been refuted since publication? How was it controversial?

Articles in peer-reviewed journals provide detailed, technical, and scientific information. you may need to use encyclopedias and other reference sources to put the information in context before you know how to use the information in your work. You can use:

• Research studies to support a specific part of an argument in your paper.
• Literature reviews to help you become familiar with important developments on a topic.
• Commentary articles to discover academic arguments or disagreements about research or ideas.
• Article bibliographies or works cited pages to identify related and relevant sources that contributed to research on a topic.

Peer-reviewed journals are housed in library databases (and sometimes on the open web). To find them through the library, enter search terms in the Discovery Search box on the library homepage and select Academic Journals as your source type and limit your results to Peer-Reviewed.

Peer-reviewed journals contain original research articles and case studies along with editorials, commentary articles, opinion essays, and book reviews, so examine your search results carefully to make sure the article is what you need for your research.