- Brandel Library
- Research Guides
- CORE 3000: Applied Liberal Arts
- Reading Scholarly Sources
CORE 3000: Applied Liberal Arts
Reading Scholarly Sources
Overview of reading scholarly sources
When you first start reading scholarly articles, it will feel challenging. Don't let this stop you from reading them! The first secret is that you do not need to understand every single word--even your professors probably don't understand every single word. The second secret is that there are certain conventions used in scholarly articles, and understanding those conventions helps you read them strategically.
For the purposes of this class, there are two main flavors of scholarly articles you will encounter:
- Essays that use logic and analysis of evidence to prove a point/thesis ("humanities-style").
- Reports on new research using the scientific method ("science-style").
Hint: If you see sections labeled "Methods" or "Results, it's a science-style article. If instead all section subheadings are based on topics, it's probably a humanities-style article.
In both cases, it helps to have a good reading strategy. This page offers reading strategies for these two types of scholarly articles.
Reading Scholarly Articles in the Humanities
Typical Article Structure
Section | What to Look for |
Introduction |
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Body |
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Conclusion |
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References |
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Reading Scholarly Articles in the Social Sciences
Typical Article Structure
Section | What to Look for |
Introduction |
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Literature Review |
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Methods |
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Results |
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Discussion and Conclusion |
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References |
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