Introduction

Writing a summary or abstract teaches you how to condense information and how to read an article more effectively and with better understanding. Research articles usually contain these parts: Title/Author Information, Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Result or Findings, Discussion or Conclusion, and References. To gain a better understanding of an article, try reading the abstract and the discussion or conclusion first and then read the entire article. This Tips Guide from Marymount University has more information about the major parts of a research article.

Finding an Article

PsycINFO

The American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.

Basic Search Video Tutorial

Advanced Search Video Tutorial 

If you are not able to access the full text of an article you would like to use for research, please use this online Journal Article Request form, and an LRC staff member will place an interlibrary loan request on your behalf.

Summarizing an Article

The following websites offer advice and instruction on summarizing articles:

Andrews University: Guidelines for Writing an Article Summary

UConn: How to Summarize a Research Article

Resources for APA Style

Websites

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) APA Formatting and Style Guide

Books in the LRC

The APA Pocket Handbook: BF76.7 .P833 2007

Concise Rules of APA Style: BF76.7 .C66 2010

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: BF76.7 .P83 2010

Sample APA Citations

In-Text Citation

If the author’s name is included within the text, follow the name with (year)

            Example: Jones (2009) found that diabetes symptoms improve with exercise.

If the author’s name is not included within the text, follow the sentence with (Last Name, year).

            Example: Increased exercise resulted in diminished diabetes symptoms (Jones, 2009).

Reference Citation

Author’s last name, A. A., & Author’s last name, B.B. (year).Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page number – page number. doi: xxxxxxx

Iscoe, K. E., & Riddell, M. C. (2011). Continuous moderate-intensity exercise with or without intermittent high-intensity work: Effects on acute and late glycaemia in athletes with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Diabetic Medicine, 28(7), 824-832. doi:10.1111/j.1464-5491.2011.03274.x