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It is important to remember that when researching, in addition to finding information, we're learning about the perspectives and voices that have contributed to our understanding of a topic. Scholarly, peer-reviewed research is an important and rigorous means of developing this understanding, but we should consider who else might be important to hear from, particularly those whose voices may be absent from scholarship.
For example, let's say you're researching the impact of TikTok usage on high schoolers. Scholarship would be great, but it can be limited:
The Library can provide access to many materials beyond just peer-reviewed research, including newspaper and magazine articles, reports from government agencies and organizations, audiovisual materials, and much more. But you always should ask yourself: whose voice should be represented in my work, and where can I find those voices?
Many students assume there's one type of writing known as "academic writing." But there's incredible diversity among the forms of academic writing, both across and within fields of study. For example, a single issue of a scholarly journal may include peer reviewed research articles, commentaries, letters to the editor, book reviews or review essays, literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, conference reports, and other forms of scholarship (not all of which are peer reviewed!). Similarly, consider how newspapers include reportage, opinions, weather reports, sports box scores, advertisements, comics, crosswords, and so on.
It can be helpful to consider the types of writing you are asked to produce (often called "genres") and the disciplinary contexts in which you're writing. Below are two resources that give a lot of good advice for understanding these different situations and purposes.
While you have a lot of experience engaging with texts, the writing encountered in peer reviewed journals often looks quite different than that in other publications. There are several reasons for this, but it can be helpful to see how scholarly sources are often organized in predictable ways. Once you sense this structure, it can be much more efficient to find the most relevant content of any article.
A common format in the social sciences and some natural sciences is known as IMRAD, which stands for Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. With slight variations, this is often the order and structuring principle of presenting the findings of a study. While not all articles use such an organization (or use different terms), there are often hints about what you'll find in an article if you know where to look.
Many scholarly texts include abstracts that summarize the purpose of the text and present a preview of what its conclusions are -- these are usually labeled and at the beginning. Some articles include a "literature review," which provides a research history that places this text within the broader "scholarly conversation." Sections are often also titled, which can collectively present a sort of outline of the text. Everything else is there to communicate to you as well -- titles, author information, and the citational apparatus are all included to serve your understanding as you read.
Scholarship in humanities fields can be challenging in its diversity: it often does not follow the somewhat-predictable organizational patterns of studies in the sciences and social sciences. There are some common features that we can use to aid our understanding, however.
Many articles in the humanities include an abstract or other summary, which highlights the general topic and approach of the article and may preview or describe its novelty or conclusions.
CSU Dominguez Hills suggests looking for the following features of these articles:
As always, the context of your own inquiry will help you locate what is most relevant within any scholarly text.
Many students struggle with reading when they transition to college. The amount of reading expected often increases, the readings themselves can be more complex, and why readings are chosen in a course is sometimes unclear. It can be frustrating when reading strategies that worked in the past seem to be no longer effective.
You've developed many reading strategies that have helped you get to this point in your academic career. However, this transition should be an opportunity to reflect on your reading processes and to consider new or different approaches. Just like with writing, it is important to practice metacognition with your reading in order to strengthen it -- in other words, think intentionally about what you're doing as you read and why. One strategy is to apply the viewpoint you take as a writer (where you may ask yourself, how do I reach my audience?) to your work as an active reader (reframing the question as, how is this author trying to reach me?). Remember that all writing is conversational!
The tools linked below provide a number of particular strategies that are worth trying -- you might find something that makes your reading not only more thorough but also more efficient!
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