Reading a Scholarly Article or Research Paper
Identifying a research problem to investigate usually requires a preliminary review of the
literature so as to gain an understanding about how scholars have approached examining a
topic. Scholars rarely structure research studies in a way that can be followed like a story; they
are complex and detail-intensive and often written in a descriptive and conclusive narrative
form. However, in the social and behavioral sciences, journal articles and stand-alone research
reports are generally organized in a consistent format that makes it easier to compare studies
and decipher their contents.
General Reading Strategies
When you first read an article or research paper, focus on asking specific questions about each
section. This strategy can help with overall comprehension and with understanding how the
content relates [or does not relate] to the problem you want to investigate. As you review more
and more studies, the process of understanding and critically evaluating the research will
become easier because the content of what you review will begin to coalescence around
common themes and patterns of analysis. Below are recommendations on how to read each
section of a research paper effectively. Note that the sections to read are out of order from how
you will find them organized in a journal article or research paper.
1. Abstract
The abstract summarizes the background, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions of a
scholarly article or research paper. Use the abstract to filter out sources that may have
appeared useful when you began searching for information but, in reality, are not
relevant. Questions to consider when reading the abstract are:
Is this study related to my question or area of research?
What is this study about and why is it being done?
What is the working hypothesis or underlying thesis?
What is the primary finding of the study?
Are there words or terminology that I can use to either narrow or broaden the
parameters of my search for more information?
2. Introduction
If, after reading the abstract, you believe the paper may be useful, focus on examining the
research problem and identifying the questions the author is trying to address. This information
is usually located within the first few paragraphs of the introduction. Look for information about
how and in what way this relates to what you are investigating. In addition to the research
problem, the introduction should provide the main argument and theoretical framework of the
study and, in the last paragraphs of the introduction, describe what the author(s) intend to
accomplish. Questions to consider when reading the introduction include:
What is this study trying to prove or disprove?
What is the author(s) trying to test or demonstrate?
What do we already know about this topic and what gaps does this study try to fill or
contribute a new understanding to the research problem?
Why should I care about what is being investigated?
Will this study tell me anything new related to the research problem I am investigating?
3. Literature Review
The literature review describes what is already known about a topic. Read the literature review
to obtain a big picture perspective about how the topic has been studied and to begin the
process of seeing where your potential study fits within this domain of prior research. Questions
to consider when reading the literature review include:
What other research has been conducted about this topic and what are the main themes
that have emerged?
What does prior research reveal about what is already known about the topic and what
remains to be discovered?
What have been the most important past findings about the research problem?
How has prior research led the author(s) to conduct this particular study?
Is there any prior research that is unique or groundbreaking?
Are there any studies I could use as a model for designing and organizing my own
study?
4. Discussion/Conclusion
The discussion and conclusion are usually the last two sections of text in a scholarly article or
research report. They reveal how the author(s) interpreted the findings of their research and
presented recommendations or courses of action based on those findings. Often in the
conclusion, the author(s) highlight recommendations for further research that can be used to
develop your own study. Questions to consider when reading the discussion and conclusion
sections include:
What is the overall meaning of the study and why is this important? [i.e., how have the
author(s) addressed the "So What? " question].
What do you find to be the most important ways that the findings have been
interpreted?
What are the weaknesses in their argument?
Do you believe conclusions about the significance of the study and its findings are valid?
What limitations of the study do the author(s) describe and how might this help
formulate my own research?
Does the conclusion contain any recommendations for future research?
5. Methods/Methodology
The methods section describes the materials, techniques, and procedures for gathering
information used to examine the research problem. If what you have read so far closely
supports your understanding of the topic, then move on to examining how the author(s)
gathered information during the research process. Questions to consider when reading the
methods section include:
Did the study use qualitative [based on interviews, observations, content analysis],
quantitative [based on statistical analysis], or a mixed-methods approach to examining the
research problem?
What was the type of information or data used?
Could this method of analysis be repeated and can I adopt the same approach?
Is enough information available to repeat the study or should new data be found to
expand or improve understanding of the research problem?
6. Results
After reading the above sections, you should have a clear understanding of the general findings
of the study. Therefore, read the results section to identify how key findings were discussed in
relation to the research problem. If any non-textual elements [e.g., graphs, charts, tables, etc.]
are confusing, focus on the explanations about them in the text. Questions to consider when
reading the results section include:
What did the author(s) find and how did they find it?
Does the author(s) highlight any findings as most significant?
Are the results presented in a factual and unbiased way?
Does the analysis of results in the discussion section agree with how the results are
presented?
Is all the data present and did the author(s) adequately address gaps?
What conclusions do you formulate from this data and does it match with the author's
conclusions?
7. References
The references list the sources used by the author(s) to document what prior research and
information was used by when designing their study. After reviewing the article or research
paper, use the references to identify additional sources of information on the topic and to
examine critically how these sources supported the overall research agenda. Questions to
consider when reading the references include:
Do the sources cited by the author(s) reflect a diversity of disciplinary viewpoints, i.e.,
are the sources all from a particular field of study or multiple areas of study?
Are there any unique or interesting sources that could be incorporated into my study?
What other authors are respected in this field, i.e., who has multiple works cited or is
cited most often by others?
What other research should I review to clarify any remaining issues or that I need more
information about?
Making the Outline
A strong outline details each topic and subtopic in your paper, organizing these points so that
they build your argument toward an evidence-based conclusion. Writing an outline will also
help you focus on the task at hand and avoid unnecessary tangents, logical fallacies, and
underdeveloped paragraphs.
1. Identify the research problem. The research problem is the focal point from which
the rest of the outline flows. Try to sum up the point of your paper in one sentence or
phrase. It also can be key to deciding what the title of your paper should be.
2. Identify the main categories. What main points will you analyze? The introduction
describes all of your main points; the rest of your paper can be spent developing those
points.
3. Create the first category. What is the first point you want to cover? If the paper
centers around a complicated term, a definition can be a good place to start. For a paper
that concerns the application and testing of a particular theory, giving the general
background on the theory can be a good place to begin.
4. Create subcategories. After you have followed these steps, create points under it that
provide support for the main point. The number of categories that you use depends on the
amount of information that you are trying to cover. There is no right or wrong number to
use.
Once you have developed the basic outline of the paper, organize the contents to match the
standard format of a research paper as described in this guide.
https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/outline
