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Reading Strategies

Journal Article Structure (Arts)

Academic journal articles in the arts and humanities are typically broken up into sections. You can quickly find what you are looking for if you understand your article's anatomy. 

Typical Sections of a Journal Article in the Arts

Article Section Title Section Contents
Abstract Short overview of entire article
Introduction Context, rationale & thesis 
Body Primary & secondary evidence used to support thesis claims
Conclusion Indicates significance of findings & possible new research avenues
Bibliography/Works Cited/References Shows this article's relationship to other works in ongoing scholarly conversation 

 

Journal Article Structure (Sciences)

Academic journal articles in the sciences often follow the IMRAD pattern. You can quickly find what you are looking for if you understand your article's anatomy. 
Typical Sections of a Journal Article in the Sciences

Article Section Title Section Contents
Abstract Short overview of the entire article
I: Introduction Context, rationale & research question
M: Methods How the study/experiment was conducted
R: Results Outcomes
A: Analysis Explanation/breakdown
D: Discussion So what? What does this new information mean?
References Position of this article in scholarly conversation

 

SQ5R Article Reading Method

The SQ5R method for reading gets you to survey, question, read, record, recite & reflect in order to actively engage with an article's contents, and it is outlined in detail below in Table 1.

Steps for the SQ5R Reading Method

Before You Read

Arrow pointing before

While You Read

Clock

After You Read

To the end symbol

1. Survey

  • read the abstract
  • skim headings
  • consider author & date of publication
  • scan references to see how this article fits in the scholarly conversation

2. Question

  • before reading a section, develop your questions about it
  • ask yourself if the evidence supports the author's claims

3. Read

  • the introduction and conclusion first to identify the article's main claim
  • read section by section to answer your questions

4. Record

  • highlight key concepts
  • write down new questions, reactions, and summarize key points in the margins

5. Recite

  • summarize the text in your own words and add info to your <tracking document>

6. Review

  • if you don't understand something, ask your instructor or do more research

7. Reflect

  • did the article help answer your research question?
  • connect the claims in this article to other research