An original research article (also called a primary research article) presents the findings of a unique research study and discusses how these findings add to existing knowledge.

Look for Key Features:

• Abstract: A concise summary of the study, including its purpose, key findings, and conclusions. Abstracts often mention the research methods used. They help you determine whether the article is relevant to your assignment.
• Publication Date: Check if the article is recent enough for your topic, considering whether it needs to be up-to-date, timeless, or somewhere in between.
• Peer Review: Use Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory to confirm if the journal is peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles are more credible.
• Author Credentials: Review the authors’ qualifications, affiliations, and the funding sources behind the study.

When you start reading a scientific research article it will help if you understand what is included in the different sections and what you should look for.

1. Abstract

• Start by reading the abstract to get a quick overview of the article’s purpose and findings.

2. Introduction and Literature Review

• The introduction explains the study’s purpose and its research question.
• The literature review summarises previous research, highlighting gaps that this study aims to fill.

3. Methodology

• This section describes how the research was conducted. Look for details that indicate whether it was qualitative, quantitative, or a combination.
• Check if there is enough information to understand how the study could be replicated.

4. Results

• Here, the authors present their findings. Make sure you understand the results.
• Consider these questions: Are the results factual and unbiased? Does the analysis match the data?

5. Discussion

• In the discussion, authors interpret their results and explain their significance.

6. Conclusion

• This section often addresses the study’s strengths and weaknesses and suggests future research directions.

7. References

• An important part of writing a research article is acknowledging sources. You can use the reference list to find other articles on the topic.

Further reading:

Subramanyam, R. V. (2013). Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively. Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology (0973029X), 17(1), 65-70. doi:10.4103/0973-029X.110733

Watch the video tutorial below, developed by University of Minnesota Libraries, to learn how to read a scientific or research article: