Reading and interpreting journal articles

Terms and definitions adapted from textbook, psychology, themes and variations and Ashley Bennett psych 101

Journal

A periodical that publishes technical and scholarly material, usually in a narrowly defined area of inquiry

Journal article

Reports that describe original empirical studies and they permit researchers to communicate their findings to the scientific community

Review articles

These articles summarize and reconcile the findings of a larger number of studies on a specific issue

Abstract

A concise summary at the beginning of an article for readers to decide whether articles are relevant to their interests. includes a summary of major study components including the variables groups and methods.

Literature review

The portion of a journal article that reviews all existing research on the same or similar topics. Includes summary of research on the variables, contextual information about the population, clear connection between theory and study goals, identifying gaps and existing knowledge and bridging to the current study.

Introduction

Includes the literature review and current study. An overview of the problem studied in the research including relevant theories, previous research and shortcomings that necessitate the current study. Then progresses to a specific and precise statement regarding the hypothesis under investigation.

Current study

The part of a journal article that explains what the researchers did and the new aspects of this study.

Method

The section of a journal article that provides a thorough description of the research methods used in the study. Information is provided on the subjects used, the procedures followed and the data collection techniques employed. It summarizes the logistical aspects of the study including participants, procedures, measures, and data analysis

Results

The section of a journal article that shows the data obtained in this study. It is often hard to read for novice readers because it includes complex statistical analysis, figures, tables and graphs. Includes a concise summary of raw data and statistical analyzes.

Discussion

The section of a journal article where you can find conclusions drawn by the authors. It allows for interpretation and evaluation of data and discusses implications for theory. The interpretation what the findings mean and why they matter.