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CD - CoRP - Maxwell: Understand Scholarly Conversations

Understanding how a research article is structured helps us enter scholarly conversations

Review the below information and videos in order to comprehend why scholarly articles are written a certain way and how they play a role in scholarly conversations.

Academic Writing...

There are many genres of writing. Different genres share characteristics or key elements in subject matter or style, and represent a shared expectation between the author and the reader. Fiction is one genre, and includes categories like mystery or fantasy. Academic writing is another genre, and includes categories such as descriptive, analytical, persuasive and critical. 

Academic writing has predictable features and styles that vary only slightly across the different disciplines. Knowing these elements and the familiar "plot" of a scholarly article or book can help you to read and understand academic texts efficiently and effectively.

  • For example, in the superhero movie genre, we expect to see characters in the roles of hero and villain, with elements of fantasy (i.e. superpowers) and action in the plot. Recognizing familiar elements of the genre can help us to follow the plot and relate to the characters.

 If academic writing was a superhero movie:

  • The the problem or gap in knowledge is the villain
  • The literature review is the villain's origin story (how the problem came about)
  • The author is the hero who will solve the problem (i.e. defeat the villain)
  • The methods are the hero's superpowers (how the problem will be solved)
  • The author's conclusion is the dramatic final battle (the culmination of everything that came before)
  • The author's citations and bibliography are the film credits (acknowledging everyone that aided in the author's victory)

 

This example was used in accordance with CC BY-NC 4.0 from Tulane University Libraries: https://libguides.tulane.edu/academicgenre/genre

How to read a scholalry article (video)

This video, from Western University, quickly and efficiently describes how to read a scholarly article.

Patterns in Scholarly Writing

Joining the Scholarly Conversation (video)

Take it in Stages

As students, some articles will always be intimidating...

...and that's okay! Because we'll know which parts of the article we can revisit later, and which parts we need to pay attention to now, in order to benefit from the source. 

  1. Review the current (new) and foundational (past) literature (aka research articles) of your topic. 
    1. It's important to gain an understanding of your topic's research history, in order to properly comprehend how and why the current (emerging) research exists.
  2. Take notes on how the sources "talk" with each other.
    1. Are there disagreements on some issues, and consensus on others?
    2. How does this impact the path of research and discovery?
  3. Are there any gaps in the research? 
    1. Many articles will have a Limitations section, or a Discussion section, wherein suggestions are provided for next steps to further the research.
    2. These are goldmines for helping you see a possible outlook of the situation. 
  4. Identify any gaps in the literature that are of a particular interest to your research goals in order to justify why your own research should be performed. 

Two Example Articles

Below are some articles that provide very good examples of an "Introduction" section, which includes a "Review of the Literature" aka "Lit Review."  

  • The Lit Review section is where we see the scholarly conversation about a topic. 
  • They usually start broad by providing a history, and then go narrow to indicate the author's focus.
  • Sometimes, there is both an Introduction section, and a separate Review of the Literature section (oftentimes, it simply depends on the publication)

Article #1

Krimm, H., & Lund, E. (2021). Efficacy of online learning modules for teaching dialogic reading strategies and phonemic awareness. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 52(4), 1020-1030. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00011


Article #2

Melfsen, S., Jans, T., Romanos, M., & Walitza, S. (2022). Emotion regulation in selective mutism: A comparison group study in children and adolescents with selective mutism. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 151, 710-715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.05.040

 

Check Your Understanding

Whenever we're entering an academic conversation, whether as students or as experts, it's crucial that we understand what we're reading. One self-check activity is to read a particularly significant paragraph and break it down. For each sentence, identify:

  1. The purpose of the sentence
  2. The type of citation* used? (if applicable; not all sentences include a citation)
  3. Why the author would use this type of citation? (if applicable; not all sentences include a citation)
  4. Why this might be useful to you?
    1. Does it provide helpful background?
    2. Does it offer a different perspective or unique argument?
    3. Does it add something new to the conversation? 
    4. Does it clarify something you've already encountered?

Keep in mind: It's always okay to Google unfamiliar terms or concepts to better understand what you read.

 

*Types of citations:

1. Where are the author's names?

  • Integral – the author’s name is included in the text of the sentence.
    • Often used to highlight the author’s authority on the subject and/or to directly engage with that author’s argument.
  • Non-integral – authors’ names only appear in the citation.
    • Often used to focus on the research and make statements of fact.

 

2. How many works are cited?

  • Single citation – only one work is cited in the citation.
    • Focus is on the unique contribution of this work.
  • Group citation – multiple works are cited in the same citation.
    • Focus is on the common characteristics or findings of a body of scholarship.

 

3. How are the works cited?

  • Direct quotation – an author’s exact words are used in quotation marks.
    • Often used when the exact language is critical to understanding or the language is the object of inquiry.
  • Paraphrase – an author’s idea is reworded to fit better within the new context.
    • Often used when summarizing medium-sized chunks of information (such as a few pages)
  • Global Summary – an entire work or group of works is briefly described.
    • Often used when summarizing larger-sized chunks of information 

This example was used in accordance with CC BY-NC 4.0 from Tulane University Libraries: https://libguides.tulane.edu/academicgenre/conversation