END 350: Reading, Writing, & Presentation Skills

Understanding the research process and the structure of a research article will help you to identify scholarly articles.

Scholarly/peer reviewed articles: 

• A formal process in journal publishing  
• A group of reviewers and editor evaluate the article for quality and accuracy.
• What to look for: author affiliations, abstract, methodology, results, bibliography 

Trade Journals: fall between the category of magazines and journals, the focus is on industry, a product, or business. Written by experts in the field or a member of an society or organization. . Ex. GA Document, Architect, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Planning Magazine

News/Newspapers:
The main goal is to provide information to a broad audience.
- Authors are usually free lance writers or journalist, but at times can be scholars.
ex. Buffalo News

Scholarly (peer-reviewed) journal articles follow a structure and typically contain these features: 

• Abstract: an overview of the entire article’s content. It gives a brief description of the problem or hypothesis, the participants, methodology, statistical analysis, results of study, and the implications of the study. It is a road map for the article.
• Introduction: Background to the research topic/problem and identifies research questions (purpose statement). Presents the research question and why it is important.
• Methods: A detailed description on how the data was collected and what instruments/measurements were used. What was done? How was it done?
• Analysis: Explains how the data was analyzed. 
• Results: The findings or results of the research problem/study – usually in graphs or charts. Understanding the tables and charts in the results section is extremely important in understanding the article. What was found? The Results are objective observations.
• Figures & Tables, Captions & Legends: Data is visualized in the figures and tables. Captions and legends provide necessary information such as abbreviations and clarifications.
• Discussion: The implications of the results, comparing results to other studies, hints to new research needed. What the results mean in comparison to previous research? Strengths and weakness, and author's next steps
• Conclusion: A brief summary of the research and findings.
• References: The cited articles used throughout the paper. Could also include a literature review or the literature review might be detailed in a section after the introduction.
• Supplemental data or materials: Any necessary documents that support the research but were too cumbersome to add to the article.

Quick overview of an article: -Identity: Who, what, when, where?
Who is the intended audience? How were the research questions identified and answered? How new/old is the literature on the topic? Are there subtopics within the article?

Notes to take about the article: -Words or ideas that repeat themselves -Conflicts or contradictions in the information -How is the topic relevant to your research question?

How to read a research article:

If asked to review an article, read over carefully:
1.Read critically - Did the author answer the research question? Was the problem solved? Are there any questions that arose from the reading that the author did not answer or solve? Was the data presented logically and understandably? Are there any omissions or limitations?

2. Read creatively - Were the ideas presented informative? If you were to continue the research, what other points would you address?

3. Take notes and underline key points made by the author.

After reading the article, can you summerize it succinctly? 
Write down the main idea and the supporting statements or subpoints of the main idea.

Tables and Graphs/Charts:
Look for the table or chart in the main text of the article where it is discussed and referenced. 

How do I read a table?
1. Read the caption or title to identify the purpose of the table.

2. Identify the variables (the factor or element that is subject to change) and the units of measure. The units can be quantitative (ex. frequencies, averages, percentages) or qualitative (ex. wages, time periods, or birth rates).

3. Read the information in the cells. What is the relationship between the data? Look for a trend.

4. Analyze the data for patterns, comparisons, or notable differences.

5. Check for any footnotes for any other important information.

How to read a graph or chart?
1. Read the caption or title to identify the purpose of the graph or chart.

2. Look at the axes: the x-axes run horizontally - left to right, starts with 0, and usually represents the independent variable- a factor that is changed or manipulated by the researcher. the y- axes is the secondary or vertical axis, it is the dependent variable, it is the variable being measured or observed and is expected to change in response - "depends on" "responds to"

3. What is the units of measure along the axes?

4. Look for a legend or symbols to understand how different colors, symbols, or data sets are distinguished. 

5. What is the relationship between the two variables? What is the trend or pattern? 

Conclusions on the table, graph, or chart:
1. Does it support the research?
2. Does it provide appropriate context for the research?
3. Does the data generate new areas of research?