How to Read Research

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Exercise 1:  Key Aspects of Academic Articles

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Please fill out these questions based on the in-depth article on how to read research.  Although the reading discusses research in social psychology, the details about reading APA research reports apply to our class, as well as the majority of social science articles.  The questions follow the order of the article. While the model tends to center on quantitative approaches, qualitative work often incorporates a similar logic as there is an expectation that the approach one uses is explicated in some manner so that readers can understand the underlying logics of the research and findings.

While you are reading the article and answering these questions, please keep in mind that you will be writing the initial sections of a research report, which are the major portions of a research proposal. 

The first set of questions refer to specific sections/portions of a research article:

1. Why is it important to know how to read journal articles? 
2. Why is having documentation of past research on a topic important?
3. What is the difference between a research report and a review article?
4. What can you learn from the title? (Note: The first mention of variables is in the paragraphs describing the title.  Make notes on variables as you read through the article- you will need to understand variables for your research paper.
5. How long is the abstract?
6. You will write an introduction to a research report.  How does the introduction begin?
7. What does the author try to accomplish in the first two or three paragraphs of the introduction?
8. What three components are described in the methods section?
9. Why is the information presented in the results section often intimidating?
10.  What is a hypothesis?
11.  Why do readers often read the first few paragraphs of the discussion section before reading the entire report?

The next few questions refer to the article as a whole:

12. Although this article does not state it specifically, the hypotheses are placed at the end of the introduction, just before the methods section.  Why do you think this is a natural place for them?

13. Where will you find the number of participants as well as characteristics such as the age and gender?

14. Where will you find the statistics for the results of the research?

If you are looking for ideas for your own research, where might you find help in a research article? (Hint: The answer is at the toward the end of the article).