Use this Worksheet to help you get started and focus your research.
(Research 101 Video University of Washington). This 3.14 minute video from the University of Washington provides some helpful search strategies to make your search yield better results and take less time.
This 3.41 minute video from the University of Washington provides explains the process by which information is published.
Currency
Is the copyright or publication date current?
If the material is dated, justification should be included for using outdated material.
Is the material to be used for background or historical purposes?
Relevance
How is this document useful to your research?
How does it directly relate to the research that you are investigating?
Authority
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the credentials of the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What is the author’s occupation, position, titles, education, experience, etc.? Is the author/publisher/
source/sponsor qualified (or not) to write on this subject?
Does the source provide accurate information (cite its sources) and is it trustworthy?
Purpose
What is the purpose for writing this document or doing this research? Does the author/publisher/source/sponsor have a bias or make assumptions within the source? Does the author have a hidden agenda? Is the source trying to sell you something, or is it trying to persuade you to think a certain way? Is it fact or opinion?
Click below to link to 3-minute tutorial created by Vanderbilt University Library
Peabody Library provides a brief overview on what makes a scholarly periodical different from a popular periodical. Created by Eli Moody, 2007.
What is a long read?
Long reads or long form journalism are popular periodical articles. Although, they are not considered scholarly or peer reviewed articles, they do provide in-depth coverage of the topic being discussed.
A long read is usually a document/article that someone spends at least 10 minutes reading and is usually 1500 words or longer (1500 words is about 3-4 pages single spaced or 7-8 pages double spaced.).
Example of Long Read article in Atlantic
Twenge, Jean M. “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” Atlantic, vol. 320, no. 2, Sept. 2017, pp. 58–65. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=124311558&site=ehost-live. [Academic Search Premier Database]
permalink to article:
http://librda.mville.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=124311558&site=ehost-live
Or the same exact article with a different title in the online subscription to the publication:
Twenge, Jean M. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” Atlantic, Sept. 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/ [web version]
Example of Long Read article in New Yorker:
Schulman, Michael. “The Force Is with Them.” New Yorker, vol. 95, no. 27, Sept. 2019, pp. 26–31. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=138469524&site=ehost-live. [Academic Search Premier Database]
permalink to article: http://librda.mville.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=138469524&site=ehost-live
Or the same exact article with a different title in the online subscription to the publication:
Schulman, Michael. “Superfans: A Love Story,” New Yorker, 9 Sept. 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/superfans-a-love-story [web version]
NCSU
Skipping around is encouraged when reading a scholarly article:
Skimming these sections first will allow you to quickly determine if the article is relevant to your research and if you should do an in-depth reading.
1. ABSTRACT
Read the abstract first.
The abstract previews the entire article, makes it easier to judge whether it is relevant.
For the sciences:
• Titles can only tell you so much about the content of the article. The Abstract acts as a preview for the entire article, including the methods and results. By reading the Abstract first, you can get a better idea of what the article is actually about, if it relates to what you are researching, and whether it is worth your time to read the rest of it.
For the humanities:
• Articles in the Arts and Humanities do not always include an Abstract, and if they do, it might just be the first paragraph of the introduction. If not included, move onto the Introduction. Make sure to skim through the section headings, if they are there. This will give you an idea of the organization of the article as well as a general idea of themes.
2. INTRODUCTION & CONCLUSION
Next, read the intro and the conclusion
Learn more about the topic of study and what the authors learned through their research.
Applies to both sciences and humanities:
• These two sections give you the background information for the topic of the article as well as what happened in the study.
• The introduction includes info about previous studies/papers that relate to the current one.
• The conclusion will provide a summary of the the study findings or analysis and an explanation of how their research contributes to their specific field of study.
• By reading the conclusion you see whether the study answered the original research question and what the authors see as the next steps in their research.
3. LOOK AT THE DATA
Take a look at results, i.e. tables, charts, graphs or images
Get a better idea of the results of the research or analytical study.
For the sciences:
• Closely look at the visual representations of the data. See what conclusions you come to and make note of them. When you read through the entire article, compare your own conclusions to what the authors saw in their results and data.
For the humanities:
• The article may not present numeric data however, there might be other visual representations of what the scholars are studying. For example, reproductions of art pieces, or excerpts from primary sources or literary pieces.These are worth looking at to see the materials being studied.
4. READ THE ARTICLE FROM START TO FINISH
Do an in-depth reading
Now that you have pre-read some of the article and are sure it relates to your research topic, do an in-depth reading.
Applies to both sciences and humanities:
• Read the article from start to finish.
• Take notes.
• Summarize sections or paragraphs.
• Keep a subject dictionary or the Internet/Wikipedia close by. If you come across any unfamiliar terms, you can quickly look them up.
• Keep track of the citation information of the articles you do read and want to use in your research. Look at the References/Bibliography list. You may find additional scholarly articles related to your research.
Scholarly articles are structured in the reverse of an Oreo, meaning that the “good stuff” is on the outside: the Abstract, Introduction, the Discussion, and the Conclusion.
The “dry stuff” is on the inside of the article – the Methodology and the Results. A key point of the scientific method is that results must be able to be replicated to be valid, so Methodology shows exactly how the study might be reproduced, but sheds little light on the big picture, unless you are replicating the experiment. Statistical analysis in the Results are important, but is typically just the math verifying the significance of the result. From https://fitchburgstate.libguides.com