Reading a journal article can be time-intensive. Often, these articles use language that is very specific to the field, so it can get confusing. Not to worry. As a student reading a journal article, you will approach the task differently than an expert. In fact, you won't even read the article in order! Here is a quick way for you to get the most out of reading a scholarly article without getting caught in the weeds.
- Read the abstract first.
- Next, read the discussion or conclusion sections.
- After that, read the introduction.
- Finally, read the literature review section.
As beginning researchers, you won't need to mire through the methodology or statistics just yet. That said, once you start on your upper division courses and feel more comfortable with scholarly research, you will. But that's for another day. For now, just realize that reading scholarly articles takes time, so allow make sure you include the extra in your time management calendar.
