Scholars present original research findings in academic or scholarly journals. Original research findings are generated as scholars ask original questions and seek answers using the methodologies of their discipline. Scholars are typically highly educated, usually possessing a PhD, and often are affiliated with a university. Scholars write articles to share with other scholars, thus, the audience is specialized and expert.
Reading scholarly articles is a skill that you develop. Unlike a book chapter or magazine article you might read from start to finish, research articles are organized in a way that facilitates a more selective reading process, i.e. skimming and/or reading sections in a different order.
Reading scholarly articles is difficult because they are written by experts in very specific fields of study written for other experts in that narrow field. It is how they communicate their work, including new discoveries and insights. They often use very specific jargon, which you will need to learn to fully understand the article.
There is no single way to correctly read a scholarly article. Even the researchers you're working with (PI, postdocs, grad students) may their own way of breaking down and reading articles, both within and outside of their field.
This will help you explore the various aspects of a scholarly article to give you an idea of how to read them to better understand the content.
Scholarly articles should be used when:
Consider using different sources if you you looking for...
