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Sarai Sepulveda

Professor McCann

English 1302.203

30 January 2022

Getting a Head Start on Journal Articles

From a first glance, 14-paged journal articles seem like yet another taunting task that one

must reluctantly get done. All one sees is words as they scroll through the article, miraculously

hoping the page count will begin to decrease and for the journal to magically transform into, at

best, a two-paged essay. Despite all wizardry, journal articles will only continue to grow in

length, which is where helpful tips such as those from the Learning Center at the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill come in to help one dissect all the text. Before one even dives into

the waves of words, it is beneficial to look for the key characteristics of the journal. This might

include its purpose, formatting, vocabulary, and more that will reveal a great deal on the

information one is about to read on. It is recommended to conduct a bit of background research

in order to avoid any confusing terms or ideas that the author may present in the journal. In

addition to these preparations, dividing the heading of the articles into questions that one can

then answer will support comprehension of the text as one reads. When it comes time to actually

read the article, note-taking skills become a must. This is the strategy that will ensure one fully

understands all the text they are taking in. Some recommendations are to paraphrase important

sections, explain key words, jot down personal thoughts, and annotate on main ideas. To take it

another step further, one can even create flashcards or concept maps so they can test themselves

on the information (“Reading Journal Articles”). Finally, after one is finished reading the journal

article, the Learning Center suggests taking some time away from the article and coming back to
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it later. This will allow one to understand the journal under a new light and hopefully make

things that were confusing then, clearer now. One can also try a writing a short summary on what

they read or talking about it with a friend. Doing this will force the mind to retrieve previously

stored information and turn it into something one will not forget as easily. There are multiple

ways one can go about reading a journal article, but these are just a few ways one can get the

upper hand in tackling the “monstrosity” that is a journal article.

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Work Cited

The Learning Center. “Reading Journal Articles.” Learning Center, University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill, 24 Sept. 2021, https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-

journal-articles/.