Scholarly Articles can be long and dense, but most scholarly articles have a structure. Once you understand the structure of the texts, they become easier to read and understand.
| Components |
Key Points |
| Abstract |
- Short summary of the article includes:
- the research question being addressed
- why it is worthwhile to conduct this study
- how the study was conducted
- the main findings of the study
|
| Introduction |
- Discusses main research contributions and knowledge on the topic
- Positions the author's approach to the topic and identifies their unique contributions ("they say this, I say this")
|
| Methods/ Methodology |
- Identifies approach / instrument used to conduct a study
- Identifies how the author gathered the data analyzed in the study
- May discuss limitations of the study
|
| Discussion |
- Analyzes the data collected or the results of the experiment
- Includes tables, charts, etc. for data visualization
|
| Conclusion |
- Restates the problem addressed in the paper
- Summarizes key takeaways from the research
- Discusses the significance and implications of the research
- Based upon these findings, suggests new approaches for studying the problem
|
| References |
- List of research cited in paper
|
Not all research papers are organized in such a manner, but all research papers provide these components whether they are labeled thus or not.
