How to Read Academic Articles
This Resource Page will help you:
- Understand the purpose of reading academic articles
- Familiarize with the general structure of research articles
- Read articles effectively for different course assignments
Introduction
Critical reading is an essential skill for academic success, enabling you to engage deeply with course materials and scholarly articles.
This resource page offers different strategies for critical academic reading depending on your reading purposes — whether for class discussions, selecting literature for an assignment, or delving into selected readings for your paper writing— to maximize your understanding and insight.
What are the Purposes of Academic Reading?
You are required to engage in academic reading for various purposes:
Purpose: get the gist (i.e., main points) of assigned readings to prepare yourself for class (e.g., class discussions) or homework (e.g., online posts and discussions).
Purpose: decide if a source is a match for your assignment topic and goal by quickly reading it.
Purpose: Once you have found appropriate sources, you need to read them more in detail to find and use the points that are relevant to your topic, and include them in your assignment.
What are Research Articles?
Research articles are a very common genre you are required to read in your courses. There are three main types of articles you may engage with:
Empirical Articles
These articles report original research studies, usually with primary data and results from experiments.
Example: Trenholm, S., Alcock, L., & Robinson, C. (2015). An investigation of assessment and feedback practices in fully asynchronous online undergraduate mathematics courses. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 46(8), 1197–1221. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2015.1036946
Theoretical Articles
These articles usually contain and describe new theories, principles, and concepts related to a specific field of knowledge. They normally do not present empirical or experimental data.
Example: Yazan, B. (2018). A conceptual framework to understand language teacher identities. Journal of Second Language Teacher Education, 1(1), 21–48.
Review Articles
These articles summarize and analyze published work on a certain topic to 1) synthesize the previous research, 2) provide a critical overview of the previous research, 3) evaluate the state of research, and 4) suggest gaps in knowledge and future research directions.
Example: Lapkin, S., Mady, C., & Arnott, S. (2009). Research perspectives on core French: A literature review. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12 (2). Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/CJAL/article/view/19936
Empirical Articles
Empirical articles are perhaps the most common type of research articles you will read during your studies. They are also often called by different names, such as experimental reports and research reports. There are two important features of these articles that you should keep in mind when you read:
- Predictable Structure. Empirical articles typically follow a structure called IMRD (Introduction – Methods – Results – Discussion)
- Predictable Language. Empirical articles often employ standard vocabulary or phrases for certain purposes (e.g., to introduce the research objective and research questions).
Familiarizing with the structure and language of empirical articles will help you find the main points quickly and ultimately read more efficiently.
Below is the IMRD structure of a typical empirical article with the main sections:
The summary of key information from the entire article.
An introduction of an empirical article normally includes the following information:
- Background information of the general topic
- Relevance of topic
- Rationale and purpose of the study
- Literature review (which can often stand as a separate section)
- Review of previous research on the topic
- Gaps and unanswered questions
- How the study addresses gaps or questions
- Significance of the study
- Research questions
- Definition of key terms (which may sometimes be included in other sections or sub-sections, such as the literature review or conceptual framework)
This section describes the research methods employed. It often includes the following components:
- Research design
- Participants
- Instruments used to collect data
- Procedure for data collection and analysis
This section reports the findings based on data analysis. The content in this section is often divided into various sub-sections.
Authors summarize and interpret the research findings in this section. In some cases, you may see the Discussion and Conclusion separated into two sections. Normally, this section includes the following information:
- Summary and interpretation of findings
- Answers to the research questions
- Limitations
- Directions for future studies
This section lists all the sources cited in the article.
Example: Check the video below about annotating a journal article from minute 4.05
How to Read Research Articles?
Here is a step-by-step process to read research articles effectively:
1. Preview
- Skim the Abstract, Intro, and Conclusion: Quickly read through the Abstract, Introduction, and Conclusion to grasp the main arguments and findings. This skimming practice allows you to identify the purpose of the text, the author's hypothesis, and the conclusions drawn, providing a framework for deeper understanding when you read in full.
- Scan the whole text structure (titles, headings, sub-headings). Scanning helps you understand the main themes and organization of the document, allowing you to anticipate the kind of information that will be covered, and quickly find specific information (e.g., study aim, main results, etc.).
- Note aids (e.g., tables, graphs, charts, bolded terms): These elements are designed to highlight key information and can serve as clues to important concepts and data within the text.
Skim
- Purpose: to quickly get a general overview or main idea of a text without reading every word or detail.
- Technique: When skimming, you glance over the text, focusing on headings, subheadings, specific sections, topic sentences, and keywords.
- Use: Skimming is useful when previewing a text to determine its relevance or when trying to understand the main points of a lengthy passage quickly.
Scan
- Purpose: to quickly locate specific information or details within a text.
- Technique: When scanning, you move your eyes rapidly over the text, looking for particular words, phrases, or information that matches your specific search criteria. You do not read every word but instead focus on finding the target information.
- Use: Scanning is helpful when searching for specific facts, names, dates, or keywords within a text, such as when looking up information in an index, table of contents, or search engine results.
2. Read in a Specific Order
While engaging in academic reading, we almost never read research articles from the beginning to the end like a book. Depending on your purposes, you should read the article sections in a specific order.
If your reading goal is to get the gist (i.e., main points) of the article, this is the suggested reading order and the specific content you can expect to find in each section.
Note: your task type and instructions ultimately determine the reading order and focus. For example:
- In a Research Methods class, tasks might require you to focus on the Methods and Results sections more than you would in other classes.
- If the task is about leading a discussion on an article, you might need to focus on more sections and details than you would for an online post.
- Abstract
- (Conclusion)
- (Discussion)
Note: if you have a clear idea of your assignment topic, reading the abstract might sometimes be enough at this stage.
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Conclusion
- Discussion
- Results
- Methods
Note: you might need to read some sections multiple times to find the points you need.
3. Focus on Predictable Language, Commonly Used Phrases & Vocabulary
Being familiar with phrases and vocabulary commonly used in academic articles will help you quickly find the information you’re looking for (e.g., study aim, research questions, and findings).
Check below some commonly used vocabulary and phrases, along with examples, for different purposes:
- The aim of this work/study is to...
- Our research/study aims at...
- The main objective/purpose is to...
- In this paper, we will investigate...
- This seems to be a problem in...
- One issue with...is that...
- An emerging challenge in this area is that...
- There is limited research discussing...
- Little is known about...
- As far as we know, few studies have investigated...
- We found that...
- Our research indicated that...
- Based on the analysis, it is clear that...
- The findings suggest that...
- A reasonable explanation of this result is that...
- It may imply that...
- Because of the lack of..., we did not/could not...
- One limitation of this study is that...
For more vocabulary and phrases used in academic articles, please check our Resource Page on Signposting and the information on Academic Phrasebank and Useful phrases and sentences for academic papers.
4. Active Reading & Questioning
By asking questions, you create a more interactive reading experience that promotes critical thinking, encourages curiosity, and helps clarify areas of uncertainty or ambiguity.
- Use your instructor’s prompts to guide your reading: Incorporate your instructor's prompts or questions to guide your reading process.
- Ask questions: As you read, generate your own questions to explore the text's implications, context, and arguments.
Below are some guiding questions you can ask for different purposes:
Note: If there are specific questions/instructions, read them first and keep them in mind as you read the article!
- How is this article relevant to course content?
- What is the main argument?
- What are some interesting points /ideas/quotes?
- Do I agree with the main argument(s)?
- What are the findings and their implications?
- What points /issues / questions can I use for my task (e.g., class/online discussion)?
- What is the author’s argument and what evidence is presented to support it?
- What is the authors’ research question?
- Is this article a good match for my topic, research question and arguments?
- How might this article be used in my assignment?
- Does point X support my argument or is it in opposition to it?
- Do I agree with the author’s findings and conclusion?
- How will I use point X in my assignment? How can I connect it to the point I’m trying to make?
- Where is the right place in my assignment to include point X from this article?
5. Take Notes
Paraphrase or summarize main points or things to remember
After reading a section, take a moment to paraphrase or summarize the key points in your own words. This practice not only reinforces your memory and comprehension of the material but also helps clarify the main ideas and how they connect to each other. This is especially helpful when you are reading for classroom discussions, in which you are often expected to have a comprehensive and deep understanding of the assigned reading.
Respond to what you read
Questions: Develop a habit of jotting down questions that arise as you read. This can include questions about the author's reasoning, the evidence provided, or their implications.
Comments or observations: Take notes on your thoughts, reactions, and observations while reading. This can be a reflection on how the text aligns or conflicts with your previous knowledge/experience, or critical comments about the strength of the arguments presented. This kind of response fosters a more active and personal connection to the reading material.
Save or export references and quotes
Use tools to digitally highlight, save, or export important quotes and references directly from the text. Keeping a collection of these key points can be invaluable for quick review, writing assignments, or future research, ensuring you have direct evidence and citations at your fingertips. You may also consider using citation management tools to help you manage the references. Refer to our Resource Page on How to Organize Literature and Citation management guide (University of Toronto) for details.
Notetaking Examples
Below are examples of how you can take notes about the same reading for different purposes:
Sample reading: Reju, C. O., & Jita, L. C. (2020). A comparative investigation of assessment practices in distance and online learning undergraduate mathematics in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 10(1), 90–103. https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2020.10.1.06
Purpose of reading: online discussion
Questions to discuss: What is your experience with assessment practices as a teacher or student in online or distance courses? How is your experience similar to or different from the findings?
What course topic is this reading connected with: assessment for online courses in higher education
Main argument(s) or main findings:
- The student participants expressed that they are not receiving prompt feedback on their assessments, leading to unmet expectations.
- The findings indicate that assessment practices, which both differ and align, have influenced open and distance learning approaches at these universities. This highlights the importance of thoroughly evaluating assessment strategies to enhance student engagement and learning, thereby enriching the learning experiences of undergraduate mathematics students.
- For high-quality and adaptable assessment methods in higher education institutions, it is crucial to offer reliable internet connectivity and consistent, precise feedback to students. Additionally, it is important to develop robust practical and online interactive sessions that engage and draw in students studying mathematics in this format. Public institutions often rely on government financial support. Consequently, the challenge of scarce resources for student assessment could be addressed through collaboration between these institutions and the government to secure the necessary resources.
Points to raise in class: Experience with online biology courses
Similarity: the lack of interactive sessions made the general experience, including assessments, less engaging and connected with real life
Difference: the feedback on assessment is often quite prompt; knowing about what was not well understood immediately based on the results of each question (automatic grading system). However, there is often no rationale explained in detail, leading to unresolved confusion even after getting feedback.
My research focus: students’ perspectives and experiences with assessment practices in mathematics and statistics courses in the post-secondary education context.
| Source | Reju, C. O., & Jita, L. C. (2020). A comparative investigation of assessment practices in distance and online learning undergraduate mathematics in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 10(1), 90–103. https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2020.10.1.06 |
|---|---|
| Research question or objective | What are the assessment practices and how are they related to the students learning of undergraduate mathematics in distance and online education? |
| Arguments & findings | 1. The student participants expressed that they are not receiving prompt feedback on their assessments, leading to unmet expectations. 2. The findings indicate that assessment practices, which both differ and align, have influenced open and distance learning approaches at these universities. This highlights the importance of thoroughly evaluating assessment strategies to enhance student engagement and learning, thereby enriching the learning experiences of undergraduate mathematics students. 3. For high-quality and adaptable assessment methods in higher education institutions, it is crucial to offer reliable internet connectivity and consistent, precise feedback to students. Additionally, it is important to develop robust practical and online interactive sessions that engage and draw in students studying mathematics in this format. Public institutions often rely on government financial support. Consequently, the challenge of scarce resources for student assessment could be addressed through collaboration between these institutions and the government to secure the necessary resources. |
| Relevance to my research focus | Highly relevant, save for paper |
| Potential use in paper | Can be used to suggest 1) the challenging experiences students had with assessment practices in online math courses; 2) recommendations to improve assessment experiences in online math courses |
Note: The following should be built upon the notes for determining a source for a paper
Relevant quotes:
- Negative student experience, inadequate prompt feedback
“The DLI participants indicated that the prompt feedback on their assessment is lacking, resulting in their expectations not being met. One of them commented that “There is no feedback from the tutors when we do assignment online, it is so frustrating.” (p. 101)
- Implication for online math education, provide interactive components for student engagement
“To ensure quality and flexible assessment practices in ODL institutions in Nigeria, it is therefore vital to provide viable Internet connectivity, alongside regular and exact feedback to the learners. There is also a need for creation of strong practical and online interactive sessions that will interest and attract students learning mathematics through this mode.” (p. 101)
My observations:
- Highly relevant to focus on students' perspectives on assessment for online math learning;
- Lack of instructors' or policymakers' perspectives on the same issue, even though the implications point to teaching and government funding --> Need to find if there is any paper filling this gap
- The results contradict Tatira (2022), which indicated a general student satisfactory experience with assessment practices in online mathematics courses
For more information about notetaking, check our Resource Page on How to Take Notes of Readings.