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AN SC 201: Animal Science

University Park

Scholarly Articles

What does a Scientific Scholarly Article Look Like?

Title: a clear and succinct expression of the article's topic.

Authors: all of the authors should be listed, with their institutional affiliation. Scholarly articles are written by authors who have credentials and experience with the subject. 

Abstract: summary of the article.

Introduction: background information and a description of the author’s purpose.

Materials & Methods: how the study was performed with enough detail so that other scientists could repeat the study.

Results: data and findings.

Note:  IF the article is a "review" article (one that summarizes and synthesizes research on a specific subject) there will not be a "materials & methods" section or a "results" section, instead you will find a detailed analysis of other primary research articles.

 

Discussion and/or Conclusion:  what the findings mean and their implications; potential criticisms; avenues of future research.

References: a list of all the works used or referred to in the paper.

Journal information: On the first page of an article you will usually find the journal title, volume/issue numbers, if applicable, and page numbers of the article. Online articles may just include the journal title and a "DOI" (digital object identifier) number.

Peer-review information: dates of submission, review, and acceptance.