Question

Discuss the various parts of a journal article. Which parts are most helpful in determining if the paper is useful for research? Which are least helpful?

Answer 1

The parts of a journal article include,

• Abstract - A brief comprehensive summary of the study
• Introduction - specify the importance of the problem, and the previous works done in the area
• Materials and methods - includes the details of methods and specifications followed during the study
• Results - present the results obtained from the study
• Discussion - describe the results and compare them with the previous results (work done by other researchers)
• References

In a research article, reading the materials and methods section helps to determine whether the paper is useful for research. This is important because the experiments and methods used in the research must be the standard procedures in order to consider the results.

The introduction part is less useful in determining the importance of the current research article as it specifies more about the problem and the previous work done.