Many of you will begin your journey within the University of Southampton with no previous experience in analysing academic journals.
But don’t panic, this article is here to help!
While a few may have encountered scholarly texts through rigorous essay A-level subjects such as English and History, the majority of you will find traversing through demanding academic texts uncharted territory.
During your first encounters with your professors, you will realise that much of the content within your modules is structured around compulsory reading, which is essential for your lectures and seminars. Lecturers will expect that the articles they provide are thoroughly read and understood, and if one occasionally falls short in this regard, it may result in being at a disadvantage.
Consequently, going through these readings can feel quite daunting – each module in your course will come with its required reading list which will be accompanied not only by compulsory readings but also further readings, which while optional, provide a great insight into topics you shall delve into during the course of your studies.
In this article, I shall provide some advice on how to deal with these demanding texts and will try to help you gain a better understanding of them.
Most academic texts follow a similar structure. On a standard piece of academic literature, you should find an abstract followed by an introduction, the main body of the article and a conclusion; I will break these down for you now.
Read The Abstract.
Your first point of focus is the abstract. It contains an overview of the research question, context and the outcome of the study. Unlike your A-level essays where the thesis summary is usually reserved for the conclusion, in university-grade research, the abstract acts as a synopsis for the study’s argument and findings – thus making it crucial to read the abstract carefully.
Scan The Text to Find The Exact Parts You’re Looking For.
Given the plethora of modules that you will be undertaking and the numerous academic or extracurricular commitments that you will have, you may find it difficult at times to keep up with all the reading and feel overwhelmed.
Therefore, it is of particular importance that you don’t get lost in a particular article you’re reading. Rather try to efficiently find the information that you require, utilise it to the best of your ability and move on.
Remember, academic articles are quite structured so locating the information you’re looking for should be straightforward. If you’re looking for specific methodologies, focus on the main body, if you’re looking for coherent results, focus on the conclusion, if you want the outline of the argument, focus on the abstract.
I would advise regularly reading entire articles if time allows, but if not, targeting exactly what you need for an exam or an essay can be essential if you are feeling overwhelmed.
Tailor Your Reading to Your Purpose and Engage in Dialogue with Your Peers.
In the previous paragraph, I emphasised the importance of skim reading and focusing specifically on the key information that you need. While skim reading can be useful when your time is limited, especially if you are approaching deadlines, if you are new to a topic I would advise that you truly try to comprehend and read most of the article and especially focus on the methodologies in the main body. I know it sounds basic, but it is of pivotal importance, particularly in the initial stages of your studies.
You don’t necessarily have to read every single piece of information within the text; however, you should read the main sections and follow the researcher’s argument closely in order to completely comprehend your new material.
Sharing your ideas on the articles you’ve studied can uncover small facts or details that you may have missed or introduce you to opinions that you could have overlooked significantly improving both comprehension and retention of the material.
To conclude, while there are many different ways to engage with academic articles, I have outlined just a few approaches that I personally would have found beneficial at the beginning of my university journey, and I hope you find them equally as useful!
