A research article is a journal article in which the authors report on the research they did. Research articles are always primary sources. Whether or not a research article is peer reviewed depends on the journal that publishes it.
Published research articles follow a predictable pattern and will contain most, if not all, of the sections listed below. However, the names for these sections may vary.
Learn some tips on how to efficiently read scholarly articles.
The Academic Skills Center and the Writing Center both have helpful resources on critical and academic reading that can further help you understand and evaluate research articles.
If you'd like to learn how to find research articles in the Library, you can view this Quick Answer.