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Accessing and Using Sources

Using Sources

Now that you've found and evaluated your sources, it is time to use them in your assignment

  1. Read through the resource to understand its key points and how it relates to your topic.
  2. Take notes on important information and keep track of where each idea comes from to avoid plagiarism.
  3. Integrate these insights into your assignment, using them to support your arguments and enhance your understanding of the subject.
  4. Properly citing these sources using APA to ensure you give credit to the original authors for their ideas and research.

How to Read a Journal Article

Scholarly research articles can be tricky and overwhelming to read due to their length and technical, scientific language. Luckily, you don’t need to read an entire article in order to identify the key information.

How are articles organized?

It's important to know the main sections that make up a research article so you can find the key information.

  • Abstract: A high level summary of the article.
  • Introduction: Sets the context for the research study. Develops an argument for why the study is important.
  • Literature review (may be included in introduction): A summary of previous research on this topic. Places the research in context with prior work. Analyzes important contributions that are relevant and shows that the article builds upon to create new knowledge.
  • Methods or Methodology: Describes how the research was performed. Provides detail on the research methods, which may include the participants and how they were recruited, the study context, data collection methods, and methods of data analysis.
  • Results: Provides a summary of the findings from the study. May include charts, tables, graphs, and data visualizations.
  • Discussion: Provides a discussion of the findings and what they mean in relation to the research question or hypothesis. This section is where the authors present their interpretations of the results.
  • Conclusion: Provides a synthesis of the findings and importance of the research. May discuss the limitations of the study, potential sources of bias, or opportunities for further research.  

Order of Reading

Try reading the journal article in the following order, rather in the order in which it is written:

  1. Abstract
  2. Discussion
  3. Introduction
  4. Conclusion
  5. Results (skim, if needed)
  6. Methodology (skim, if needed)

Reading the abstract first will let you know if the article is relevant to your topic and if you should read further. Reading and Understanding Abstracts. If you decide to read further, you are looking to figure out:

  • What does this study mean
  • Why is it important?

Next, read through the introduction and ask yourself these questions:

  • What is the research question or problem?
  • Why is this research being done? What is the rationale?
  • What is the main argument? What is unique about this study, what does it contribute to existing knowledge?

Finally, read the discussion and conclusion sections. The discussion is where the authors will provide meaning and context to the data and findings from the Results area.  The conclusion will often summarize the findings and why the reader should care. Consider these questions:

  • What were the key findings?
  • How were the results of this study different from previous studies?
  • How does this article connect with related articles?
  • What implications does the research have for best practices or future work?

Note Taking

As you read, take notes on the article by highlighting sentences of significance and how the information supports what you are writing in your paper. If you have created an outline for your paper, now is a good time to document where you can include the information from the article as supporting evidence in your writing. 

Portions of this instructional content were adapted from University of Washington Virtual Reach Program 2020 under a Creative Commons 4.0 International License.

Integrating Sources Into Your Writing

Integrating sources into an academic writing assignment is important because it strengthens your arguments and provides evidence to support your claims. By referencing the work of experts and scholars, you demonstrate that you have conducted thorough research and are informed about the topic. This not only adds credibility to your writing but also shows your ability to engage with existing knowledge and contribute to academic conversations.

There are three ways to integrate sources into your writing:

  • Quoting - Using information word for word from the original source.
  • Paraphrasing - Focuses on restating a particular section in detail.
  • Summarizing - Distills a larger amount of information down to its core ideas.

Watch the video below for a more in-depth introduction to the concepts above. Regardless of which method you choose, you must cite your sources!

Writing Help

The Writing Lab can help you with:

  • Integrating sources into your writing
  • Incorporating your own voice
  • Citing your sources in APA