EDUC 790: Ford

After running a few searches in Discovery or one of the education databases, the next step is determining whether a source is right for your research topic. Most research articles follow the same organizational structure: 

• Abstract: a quick summary of the research article, featuring major themes and findings. An article's abstract is a great way to assess its value to your research. (Excellent to use when selecting potential research articles) 
• Introduction: the purpose of the study, providing context and objectives 
• Literature Review: summary of existing research on the topic. 
• Methodology: clear purpose of how the study was conducted - subjects, testing, control, etc. 
• Results/Data: research outcomes, an analysis of the empirical evidence - tables, graphs, etc. 
• Discussion: deep summary of findings, expected or unexpected results   
• Conclusion: summarizes findings and how they prove or disprove original thesis, future research opportunities 
• References/Bibliography: the list of sources used by the researcher

Understanding the anatomy of a research article can speed up the selection process, especially if you're reviewing a long list of results. The following video goes into the selection process and how to quickly collect and review articles related to your topic. 

Source: Colorado State University & Brandis University 

Discovery allows users to save articles and other types of sources. To save an article, you must first sign in to your Library Account: 

Once you have signed in and run your search, you can select your favorite articles with the "push-pin" icon beside each entry: 

To view saved articles, click the "push pin" icon in the top right-hand corner:  

Under "My Favorites" you can review your saved articles: 

Note: You can save searches, review your search history, renew items, and export the article's bibliographic record to a citation manager (Zotero, EndNote Web, Mendeley, etc.)