Research Article Essay

Summarizing a Research Article Research members use a standard format to clearly communicate information somewhat an experiment. A search article usually has seven major fragments Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, treatment, and References. Sometimes in that respect atomic number 18 minor variations, such as a combined Results and Discussion section, or an overall General Discussion section in which three-fold experiments are presented in one article. Reading the Article Allow passable time. Allot at least half the time that you spend on this assignment to come acrossing and understanding the article.Before you can write about the research, you have to understand it. This takes more time than most students realize. Does the authors lead make sense to you in lay terms (could you excuse the study to your roommate)? When you can clearly explain the study in your give words, then you are ready to write about it. Heres how to proceed. Scan the article first. If you try to read a new article from start to finish, youll get bogged down in detail. Instead, use your knowledge of APA format to find the main points.Briefly look at each section to identify the research question and reason for the study (stated in the Introduction) the surmisal or hypotheses tried (Introduction) how the hypothesis was tested (Method) the findings (Results, including tables and figures) how the findings were interpreted (Discussion) Underline discern sentences or write the key point (e. g. , hypothesis, design) of each paragraph in the margin. Although the abstract can help you to identify the main points, you cannot rely on it exclusively, because it contains highly condensed information. Read for depth, read interactively.After you have highlighted the main points, read each section several times. As you read, ask yourself these questions How does the design of the study address the question posed? What are the controls for each experiment? How convince ar e the results? Are any of the results surprising? What does this study contribute toward respondent the original question? What aspects of the original question remain unanswered? plagiarization. Plagiarism is always a risk when summarizing someone elses work. To avoid it reward notes in your own words. Avoid authorship complete sentences when note-taking. Summarize points in your own words. If you find yourself sticking closely to the original language and devising lone(prenominal) minor changes to the wording, then you probably dont understand the study. Writing the Summary Like an abstract in a print research article, the purpose of an article summary is to give the reader a brief, structured overview of the study. To write a good summary, identify what information is in-chief(postnominal) and condense that information for your reader. The better you understand a subject, the easier it is to explain it well and briefly. Write a first draft. make use of the same order as in the article itself. The number of suggested sentences given in parentheses below is only a rough guideline for the relative length of each section. go under the length accordingly depending on the content of your particular article. State the research question and explain why it is interesting (1 sentence). State the hypothesis/hypotheses tested (1 sentence). Briefly describe the methods (design, participants, materials, procedure, what was manipulated independent variables, what was measured dependent variables, how data were analyzed (13 sentences). Describe the results. What differences were real? (1-3 sentences). Explain the key implications of the results. Avoid overstating the importance of the findings (1 sentence). The results, and the interpretation of the results, should relate presently to the hypothesis. For the first draft, focus on content, not length (it will probably be too long). Condense later as needed. Try writing about the hypotheses, methods and resul ts first, then about the introduction and discussion last. If you have stir up on one section, leave it for a while and try another. trim down for completeness and accuracy. Add information for completeness where necessary. More commonly, if you understand the article, you will need to tailor-make redundant or less classic information. Stay focused on the research question, be concise, and avoid generalities. The Methods summary is often the most heavy part to edit. See the questions under Reading interactively to help you decide what is important to include. Edit for style. Write to an intelligent, interested, naive, and slightly lazy audience (e. g. yourself, your classmates). Expect your readers to be interested, but dont make them struggle to understand you. involve all the important details dont assume that they are already understood. Eliminate wordiness, including most adverbs (very, clearly). The results clearly showed that thither was no difference between the groups can be shortened to in that respect was no significant difference between the groups. Use specific, concrete language. Use precise language and cite specific examples to support assertions.Avoid unknown references (e. g. this illustrates should be this result illustrates). Use scientifically accurate language. For example, you cannot prove hypotheses (especially with simply one study). You support or fail to find support for them. deposit primarily on paraphrasing, not direct quotes. Direct quotes are seldom used in scientific writing. Instead, paraphrase what you have read. To give cod credit for information that you paraphrase, cite the authors last come upon and the year of the study. Re-read what you have written.