How to Read a Scholarly Article: Reading Strategies

The following tips can help you make sense of articles and retain what you've read in them.

• Keep your research question in mind while reading the article. Focus on material in the article that is relevant to your research, while skimming content that doesn't relate to you.
• Think critically while reading. Ask yourself if you feel the author is proving their point, and build your own argument about the topic.
• Write down questions that arise as you're reading the article, and look for answers to them as you work your way through it.
• Look up words or academic jargon that you're unfamiliar with. Be sure you understand them before moving on, or you may end up getting lost later in the article.
• Take notes on the article:
  • Use Adobe Reader's highlight text and/or sticky note features if reading online.
  • Or print out a hardcopy and underline/highlight important passages and take notes in the margins.
  • Try color-coding your highlighting, using different colors for different topics or ideas.
  • Don't overdo it and underline/highlight everything--only focus on the most important passages for your research.
  • Write a brief summary of what you learned while reading the article.
  • Paraphrase the article's main points by putting them in your own words.