Dissecting A Journal Article

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Dissecting A Journal Article

• AP Psychology
• By Jessica Mulder
• Adapted from Megan E. Bradley
• http//faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/dissecting.h
  tmlb

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Sections of a Research Article

• Title and Author Information
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References

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Title and Author Information

• The title of the article, the authors' names, and
  the authors' addresses are usually the first
  prominent parts of the article.
• The title will provide information about what the
  article is about.
• Looking at the authors research / institution
  affiliation can help to show the prestige of the
  article.

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Abstract

• The Abstract is a brief summary of the entire
  article, in approximately 120 words.
• Its purpose is to provide the reader with a quick
  review of the article's content
• (a) the article's problem under investigation or
  the hypothesis,
• (b) pertinent information on the participants,
• (c) brief review of methodology,
• (d) statistical analyses,
• (e) results of the study, and
• (f) implications of the study.

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Introduction

• The Introduction begins with a broad statement of
  the problem under investigation and then proceeds
  to narrow the focus to the specific hypothesis or
  hypotheses of the study.
• The purpose of this section is to introduce the
  reader to the overall issue/problem that is being
  tested and to provide justification for the
  hypothesis or hypotheses. In order to accomplish
  these tasks, the author needs to review past
  research on the same topic, discussing their
  findings.

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Methods

• The purpose of the Method section is to provide a
  detailed description of how the study was
  conducted. An overarching goal of science is the
  replication of research.
• It is in the Method section that authors need to
  specify their participants and procedures to
  allow others to duplicate the study.
• Think of this section as being a recipe with an
  exact description for others to follow.

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Methods

• Participants/Subjects
• Number of participants
• Major demographic characteristics
• Ethical principles used
• Materials/Measures
• ingredients
• Procedure
• Subsection provides a detailed account of what
  happened in the study.

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Results

• The Results section is the statistical reporting
  of the data. Its purpose is to describe what was
  found after statistically analyzing the data.
• Tables and figures are often used to convey
  important information in an organized manner.

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Discussion

• The Discussion section reviews, interprets, and
  evaluates the results of the study using no
  statistics.
• Discussion sections typically begin by listing
  the hypotheses and then stating if the results
  supported or contradicted the hypotheses.
• Next, writers usually discuss similarities and
  differences between the current findings and
  findings of previous research.
• Any weaknesses of the current study are also
  reviewed and suggestions are made on improving
  the research design.
• Finally, a discussion section usually ends with
  the writer providing directions for future
  research.

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Reference Section

• The last important section of an article is the
  list of references.
• In alphabetical order.

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Dissecting a Research Article

• Research Questions/ Purpose of the Article
• Hypothesis
• Variables
• Independent Variable
• Dependent Variable
• Methodology
• Who Participated?
• What did they do?
• Major Findings
• Weaknesses of the Reserach

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I. Research Question(s)/ Purpose of Article

• Every article has a purpose or a main research
  question to guide it.
• Sometimes this is formally stated while other
  times the reader must glean this information.
• You can find this information in the article's
  Introduction and, sometimes, the abstract.

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II. Hypothesis

• You can usually find the hypothesis (or
  hypotheses) in the introduction and, sometimes,
  the abstract.
• Sometimes the hypothesis is formally stated
  other times it is phrased as "We believe such and
  such will happen" or "We think this will happen".

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III. Variables

• The answers to finding both the independent and
  dependent variables is usually found in the
  introduction and method sections (and sometimes
  the abstract).
• You can also figure out these variables from the
  hypothesis.
• It is usually best to first figure out the main
  variables or constructs of the study, and then
  choose which one is the IV and which one is the
  DV.

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IV. Method

• For this part of the outline, you want to read
  through the Method section to see who
  participated in the study and what did they have
  to do.
• Under part (A) who participated section, you'll
  want to briefly state who did the study.
  Children? Ages? Gender? Parents? etc.
• Under part (B) you want to describe what the
  participants were instructed to do.

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V. Major Findings

• Did the results of the experiment support their
  hypothesis?
• What were the major findings of the article?
  What happened?

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Weaknesses of the Article

• This will usually be found in the discussion
  section.
• Also, as a keen observer you should be able to
  come up with some on your own.