PSYC 111: Intro To Psychology

Scientific articles (i.e., articles reporting the results of an experiment or study, as in many psychology articles) follow a standard format designed to help readers know exactly where to look for the information most important to them.

The following is a very brief outline describing the sections typically present in a scientific article. This information was adapted from How to Read a Psychology Journal Article, from the J. Oliver Buswell Jr. Library at Covenant Theological Seminary. For a more detailed description, see the full article.

• Abstract
  • A summary of the research conducted and the results found.
• Introduction
  • Introduces the topic and the researchers' hypotheses. Includes a literature review of previous research in this area. This can often be useful for pointing you toward additional articles relevant to your topic (always seek out the original articles rather than citing the other authors' citations).
• Materials and Methods
  • Describes how the research was conducted. Particularly relevant to other researchers interested in replicating the experiment.
• Results
  • The outcome of the experiment. This will typically include statistical data, often presented in charts or tables.
• Discussion/Conclusion
  • The authors' interpretation of the results. The discussion will place the researchers' findings in the context of the previous research discussed in the introduction. It will also provide ideas for future research and discuss any limitations to the study described in the article.

From How to Read a Scientific Paper by Michael Fosmire of Purdue University. CC BY-NC-SA