Reading a research article efficiently
Finding and Evaluating Academic Sources
You do not need to read every article from first line to last. Read the abstract, then the introduction’s final paragraph for the question, then the figures and tables, then the discussion. Read the method fully only for studies you will rely on.
Take notes as you go, with the page number beside every note. Mark clearly whether each note is a quotation, a paraphrase or your own thought — this prevents accidental plagiarism later.
Example
Three-pass reading: 5 minutes to decide relevance, 30 minutes to understand the argument, a full read for core sources only.
Exercise
Open a source in the reader, capture one quotation and one paraphrase, each with a page number.