Outline

UCOLL 300 - Unit IV - Article Organization

I. Introduction or Literature Review

• Look for definitions to key terms used in the article, as well as acronyms the author will use.
• Author presents tie ideas together referencing important previous research on the topic (a "literature review").

II. Methodology

• Often the Methodology section is most difficult part to understand, especially if the research is based on experimental data and / or formulas that you are not familiar with.
• Skim through this section at least and try to get a sense of what the researchers are doing (but don't expect to understand it perfectly).

III. Results

• This section often contain statistics, tables or other formal data
• The author should refer back to the hypothesis presented in the article’s introduction or literature review, and clearly explain the outcome of the research.

IV. Discussion (sometimes Conclusions or Conclusions and Implications)

• Authors will often acknowledge specific shortcomings of their research methodology. This can help you understand the scope and limitations of the article a little better.
• Author discusses the implications of the research – What does it really mean? Should something happen or change because of the research?
• You should also see suggestions for future research. What should people in the future do with this new knowledge? What should the next step be in the process of further addressing the issue?

V. Bibliography

• This is a list of outside resources (articles, books, interviews, etc) the author(s) used to support the ideas and statements within the article.