Database Search Tips: Reading
Strategically

Journal Articles

Reading a scientific journal article is not like reading a book. It does not begin at the beginning and then finish in the end.

Structure of an article

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods/Procedures
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References

Tips:

• Should you read/skim the article in order?  Not necessarily.
• Start with the title and abstract.
• Look for the main points in the introduction and discussion sections of the article.
• If there are charts/graphs use that help determine the key points

More Tips:

Book chapters

Similarly to articles, use the structure of a book chapter (or an entire book) to help determine key points

• Read the beginning and end for the key points
• Use the headings to determine the most relevant sections of the chapter
• Keep an eye out for bullet points, words in bold or graphic information

Taking notes will help you process the information

Keep track of the main points

Use OneNote (available in Windows 365) for note taking and organizing your material

Note-taking strategies (from St. Mary's College of California):

• Create an abbreviation system or use an existing system
• Highlight important main points
• Record examples, numbers, lists, etc.
• Use phrases that show relationships (relationships between points should be evident)
• Record general main ideas and details