Introduction to research articles
Many research articles vary on the exact format and style, but most articles contain similar content and are organized into a similar structure. Listed below are the section headings commonly found in research articles.
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion/Conclusion
- References/Bibliography
The article's section content format resembles an hourglass in that it goes from general to specific and then back to general again. The introduction and literature review sections will introduce the problem and provide general information. The methods and results will provide specific, detailed information about this research project and the discussion/conclusion will discuss the findings in a larger context.
Parts of a research article
The table below provides general guidelines of where you will be able to locate the different pieces of your annotated bibliography in a research article. The chapter below provides more information about breaking apart and evaluating research articles. It will provide guidance as to what to look for in the body of the article.
| Section of Article to Review: | |
|---|---|
| Scope | Abstract/Introduction |
| Purpose | Introduction |
| Philosophical Approach | (Research) Methods: May not be directly stated. Must be inferred by the reader. |
| Underlying Assumptions | (Research) Methods: May not be directly stated. Must be inferred by the reader. |
| Research Methods | (Research) Methods |
| Limitations | (Research) Methods/Discussion (for future research) |
| Opportunities for further inquiry | Discussion (for future research) |
| Validity of Use | Results (This will also refer to how relevant it is to your topic and it's reliability as a source.) |