Intro to Scholarly ResearchEntering the Conversation

Who is the author? Who is the audience? What are the contents? How do articles get published?

What is a peer-reviewed source?

Source: University of Maryland Libraries

Who cares?

We do!

Who cares?

Anatomy of a Peer Reviewed Article

Certain features are common in peer reviewed articles and can help you navigate them easily Credentials Abstract Graphs or charts Citations

Source: University of Maryland Libraries

Source: University of Maryland Libraries

Source: University of Maryland Libraries

Start with popular and trade sources to gain a basic understanding of your topic

General scientific journals (e.g., Science, Nature) may be more accessible than highly specialized ones

Don’t settle on the first one you find

Research Strategies

Remember, research is a conversation Chaining is a great way to move from one

source to another, from popular to scholarly, or between scholarly articles

More influential articles have a high “citation factor”

Research Strategies

Focus on key sections Abstract Introduction and conclusions Figures and charts

Read hard articles in hard copy Ask questions, make notes in the margins

Ask for help when you need it

Reading a Scholarly Article