PSYC 101 - General Psychology - Course Guide: Primary Original Research Articles

Are you looking for a primary original research journal article?

If so, then you need to search for a peer-reviewed or scholarly journal article that:

• reports a research study written by the actual researchers who did the study.
• follows a structured reporting style.

Primary research articles can be identified by a commonly used format or structure. Primary research articles will often contain:

• Title and Author Information - provides the main idea of the article and authors are listed, along with their credentials
• Abstract - provides a summary of the research article. This is useful for quickly determining if the article is relevant to your research.
• Introduction or Literature Review - states the purpose of the research, may provide a summary of other research related to the topic, and may state a hypothesis or research question.
• Methods or Methodology - describes how the research was conducted, with details about who participated in the study, the procedure, what was measured, and how it was measured. Note: A methods section indicates that a study is original research and that the article is a primary source.
• Results - research findings are presented with results displayed using tables, charts, or figures along with a written explanation. Note: A results section  usually indicates that a study is original research and that the article is a primary source.
• Discussion or Conclusion - explains how the results answered the research question and may suggest future areas for research.
• References, Bibliography or Works Cited - lists the publications that the authors cited in the article.