How to Summarize a Research
Article
Research articles use a standard
format to clearly communicate information about an experiment. A research
article usually has seven major sections: Title, Abstract, Introduction,
Method, Results, Discussion, and References.
Determine your focus
The first thing you should do is
to decide why you need to summarize the article. If the purpose of the summary
is to take notes to later remind yourself about the article you may want to
write a longer summary. However, if the purpose of summarizing the article is
to include it in a paper you are writing, the summary should focus on how the
articles relates specifically to your paper.
Reading the Article
Allow enough time. Before you can
write about the research, you have to understand it. This can often take a lot
longer than most people realize. Only when you can clearly explain the study in
your own words to someone who hasn’t read the article are you ready to write
about it.
Scan the article first. If you
try to read a new article from start to finish, you'll 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
hypothesis or hypotheses tested (Introduction)
·
how
the hypothesis was tested (Method)
·
the
findings (Results, including tables and figures)
·
how
the findings were interpreted (Discussion)
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