When you're reading journal articles, look for key information like:
- What are the main hypotheses? What research findings built up to this hypothesis?
- Why is this research important?
- What are the theoretical perspectives of the authors?
- What is the sample size?
- What are the study's independent and dependent variables?
- Were the research measures and procedures appropriate for studying the stated hypothesis?
- What were the key research findings? Is the evidence falsifiable?
- Are the authors' conclusions supported by the data?
- Did the authors show any bias?
Try out the post How to Read and Get the Most out of a Journal Articles, by the Journal of European Psychology Students (JEPS), which describes the Three Pass Approach to reading and understanding Psychology journal articles.
