Before analyzing the article you found on the GTCC library databasesLinks to an external site., it is necessary to orient yourself to how scholarly articles are generally set up. Elements of style and content are going to change depending upon the field and the journal itself, but many other factors will remain the same.
Step 1:
Use this NCSU interactive “map” to take a tour of a scholarly article: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/Links to an external site.
Step 2:
Work through this brief tutorial for a more in-depth review of how to read scholarly articles: https://library.hunter.cuny.edu/gots/tutorial/reading-scholarly-articlesLinks to an external site.
Part 2
Now that you are more familiar with identifying the sections of scholarly articles, you can work through the questions below. Read the questions and answer them based on the article you selected for this activity.
Start by providing the MLA citation, APA citation, and the permalink to the article you are using.
Take a moment to look at your article and identify the sections covered in the NCSU resource, including: Title, Authors, Author Affiliations/ Credentials, Abstract, Introduction, Materials/ Methods/ Literature Review, Results/ Evidence, Analysis/ Discussion, Conclusion, and References. Are you able to locate all these sections in your article? If yes, type YES as an answer to #2. If no, type NO and then indicate which sections you could not identify.
Formulate a research question that will guide your preparation for the Annotated Bibliography. It could be as general as: what is a problem that professionals in my current/future field are attempting to solve? Type that question here. Do not worry – you are not committed to this question. You may alter it at any time over the next few weeks.
Now, read the Abstract of your article. Based on your research question, will this article be a useful resource for you? If the answer is yes, please type YES and move on the next question. If the answer is NO, please return to the database and find an article that will be useful. (This will save you so much time in the long run!) If the answer is “I’m not sure,” email your instructor and discuss it with them.
Now, locate the “discussion” section of the article. It may not be labelled “discussion” per se (there may be no label at all), so what you are looking for is the area where the author focuses on the new insights he or she is bringing to the discussion of this topic. Read this section. Based on your research question and the information provided in this section, will this article be a useful resource for you? If the answer is yes, please type YES and move on the next question. If the answer is NO, please return to the database and find an article that will be useful. If the answer is “I’m not sure,” email your instructor and discuss it with them.
Now locate the Introduction section of the article. a) Is it 1, 2 or more paragraphs? b) Then, copy and paste what you think is the author’s “thesis” statement. Remember a thesis statement is a summary of the author’s stance on this topic. A stance is something that can be argued about according to differing views and data. Therefore, a sentence that states a fact cannot be a thesis statement. If you aren’t certain which sentences are the thesis statement, copy and paste the introductory paragraphs into an email to your instructor and they will talk you through locating the thesis.
Now locate the Reference List of the article. a) Which format does the reference list use? Now, read over the references. b) What are two commonalities you notice about the references used? c) What are two other articles that might be useful to your Annotated Bibliography? Include permalinks for the two articles.
Lastly, write three questions about your topic that you now have as a result of reading the contents of the article.
