The table below describes the components of scholarly articles in the Social Sciences and Sciences. The majority of articles in these disciplines will have the sections listed below.
Abstract | Brief summary of the article, including research question, methodology and results. |
Introduction | Background information about the topic, leading up to why this study is being done, and may include a brief literature review. |
Methods | Description of how the study procedures, set-up and how data was collected. |
Results/Findings | Presentation of the data from the study. This section often includes tables, charts, or other visualizations of the data. |
Discussion | Analysis of the data and how the study relates to existing knowledge of the topic. The authors evaluate whether their results answer their research question. |
Conclusion | The authors wrap up the article by discussion how their study contributes to the research on this topic and outline future potential research questions or studies. |
References | List of resources that the authors consulted when developing their research and subsequently cited in their article. |