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How to Write a Guided Article Summary
A Guided Article Summary is a way to keep track of a paper you have read. It gives you an
overview of the article so that you can compare one article to another. You may also hear an
instructor refer to this is an “annotation”.
Reading the Article
First, read the whole article, briefly, at least once. Don’t get hung up on parts that you don’t
understand (particularly methods and results); instead, try to get a general understanding of what
the research is about.
Now, go back and find the following specific pieces of information:
1) The abstract – for a general overview of the importance of the research, the outcomes, and the
implications.
2) The first paragraph of the introduction – again, for the “gist” of the research and its
importance.
3) The last paragraph of the introduction – this is where you are likely to find the hypotheses.
4) The methods section – so that you can describe the participant characteristics, the
questionnaires or other materials used, what the researchers were measuring, and what the
participants did.
5) The end of the results section – look for a summary of the research outcomes (not statistical
tests).
6) The discussion – scan the entire section for conclusions and implications.
Writing the Guided Article Summary
1) Reference.
Write the reference for the article at the top of the paper in APA format.
2) Introduction.
In a sentence or two, state the overall topic of the article.
Examples: “This research examined…” or “This research was motivated by…” or “The idea that
______ could happen was investigated in this research”.
3) Purpose/Hypotheses.
What was the purpose of the research? If possible, state the hypotheses or predictions in a
general way rather than copying word-for-word from the article.
4) Participants.
Next, in a sentence or two, describe the participants. How many? Are the ages/genders/other
characteristics of the participants important? If so, include this information; if not, omit the
information.
5) Methods.
State what the researchers were doing. Include the observations that the researchers were
making, and any tasks or assignments that the participants did. Describe in some detail what
groups the participants were assigned to (if any) and what the participants did.
Examples: “Anxiety was measured using a 10- item questionnaire…” or “Researchers counted
four different types of mask wearing behavior…” or “Participants read a passage and answered
15 questions about it.”
6) Results/Outcome.
Describe the outcome of the experiment. Do not give precise statistical values; rather, state in a
general way how the participants performed.
Examples: “The statistical analysis showed that there were no significant outcomes…” or “The
researcher’s hypothesis that ________________ would occur was supported…” or “Two
significant outcomes were found:”
7) Conclusion.
Next, state the conclusions of the article in a general way. Do not simply say “The hypothesis
was supported”. Instead, try to point out the implications of the research.
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