It can be tough to figure out how to review and compare various resources to write a literature review. The document below provides one way you might do this by noting the themes of the each source and discovering where they complement or disagree with others.
Libraries subscribe to various types of periodicals, such as scholarly (some of which may be peer-reviewed or refereed, blind peer-reviewed, editorial review), popular, or trade publications. Choosing which to use depends on your topic, the type of writing you are doing, your assignment, and the sources your professor wants you to use. Many databases offer the option to limit to "Peer Reviewed." If you're not sure if a journal is considered peer-reviewed, check the journal's website.
A scholarly/academic journal is peer-reviewed when manuscripts are sent to experts, sometimes anonymously (blind peer-reviewed), in the related field. They make recommendations to editor for publication, rejection or revision. These journals are generally thought to be of the highest quality.
Reading a long scientific article can seem difficult, but if you learn how to properly read a scholarly article, it can make the process much easier! You only need to understand the different parts of scientific articles.
Title |
The titles of most scholarly articles can give the reader a lot of information about its topic, major ideas, and participants. | |
Abstract |
Abstracts summarize the article and give a preview of the information contained in the article. Abstracts should be read with care because they can help you to decide whether to continue reading. | |
Introduction |
An article's introduction section should include the purpose of the article, as well as other relevant research or data that can help the reader understand the material in the article. The research question is presented in this part of the article to help the reader to understand the author's expected findings or knowledge to be gained. Keep in mind these questions when reading the introduction:
You can get a better understanding of the whole article by reading the introduction with these questions in mind. Good research articles answer these questions in the introduction and is consistent with their explanation throughout the rest of the article. |
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Method |
This section explains the experiment or research undertaken. It lets you know why specific procedures were selected, and justifies the design of the experiment. When reading the methods section, keep these questions in mind:
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Results |
The results section explains what the author found out from the experiment or study. This section should just state the outcome of the experiment or research, without interpretation. It usually includes numerical or statistical evidence, with accompanying graphs, charts or other figures. Keep these questions in mind as you read this section:
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Discussion |
This section summarizes the findings of the study or experiment, and it includes the author's interpretation of the data or other relevant information that have come from the research. This section may include a proposal for new research or insights into the problem undertaken in the introduction. As you read the discussion, keep these questions in mind:
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Conclusion |
The conclusion section summarizes the experiment or study's most important findings. On occasion, this section is incorporated into the article's discussion section. |
Adapted from "Reading a Scientific Paper," University of Indiana, 2024
Use the 5W questions below to help you learn more about a source and decide whether / how to use it in your research.
Using your answers to the above questions, do you still plan to use this source?
Source: Kirsten Hansen, "Do you trust this source?" Project CORA lesson plan.