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SSCI 3010 - Dr. Matthew Derrick

Class guide for Dr. Cotter's social sciences class, introduction to social sciences methodology

What type of scholarly article is this?

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infographic on types of scholarly articles. for more information read the section titled What type of scholarly article is this? (Text)

What type of scholarly article is this? (Text)

Empirical/Research Article: 

  • Peer-reviewed or reviewed by other experts in the field
  • Article includes combinations of case studies, vigorous research, methodologies, results, discussion, etc.
  • Long articles
  • Look for the following sections or similar: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results and Data, Discussion, Limitations, Conclusion, etc.

Review Article:

  • Summarizes the research in a particular subject or topic
  • Has introduction and conclusion, but no methodology, primary case study, or results & data.

Meta-analysis Article:

  • Combines research & data from different studies in a new analysis
  • Compares different research studies
  • Has introduction and conclusion, but no methodology, primary case study, or results & data.
  • Similar to an in-depth literature review

Theses and Dissertation:

  • Research document
  • Submitted by a student as a requirement for an advanced degree
  • Lengthy document, usually published as a book
  • Usually will have a cover page, with information on the school and/or doctoral/master program
  • Formatting is similar to that of a book manuscript: double spaced and table of contents