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How to Read Journal Articles in the Social Sciences
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How to Read Journal Articles in the Social Sciences
A Very Practical Guide for Students

Second Edition
  • Phillip C. Shon - Professor of Criminology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Additional resources:

Courses:
Study Skills

August 2015 | 144 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
This superb guide teaches you how to read critically.  Its no-nonsense, practical approach uses a specially developed reading code to help you read articles for your research project; this simple code enables you to decipher journal articles structurally, mechanically and grammatically. 

Refreshingly free of jargon and written with you in mind, it’s packed full of interdisciplinary advice that helps you to decode and critique academic writing.  The author’s fuss free approach will improve your performance, boost your confidence and help you to:   

  • Read and better understand content
  • Take relevant effective notes
  • Manage large amounts of information in an easily identifiable and retrievable format
  • Write persuasively using formal academic language and style.

New to this edition:

  • Additional examples across a range of subjects, including education, health and sociology as well as criminology
  • Refined terminology for students in the UK, as well as around the world
  • More examples dealing specifically with journal articles.

Clear, focused and practical this handy guide is a great resource for helping you sharpen your use of journal articles and improve your academic writing skills.

‘I have used the book over the last five years with my students with great success. The book has helped students to develop their critical thinking, reading and writing skills and when it comes to writing a dissertation they have used the code sheet in their own writing.’ - Pete Allison, Head of the Graduate School of Education, University of Edinburgh

Student Success is a series of essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to boosting your employability and managing your wellbeing, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university. 


 
Chapter 1: The Challenges of Reading
 
Chapter 2: Trying to Fix Mechanical and Structural Writing Problems with Abstract Tools
 
Chapter 3: Should I even Read This? How to Read the Abstract, General Introduction and Methods Section
 
Chapter 4: So What? How to Read the General Literature Review, Psychology Introductions, and Results Sections
 
Chapter 5: Becoming a Part of the Scholarly Community: How to Read the Discussion and Conclusion
 
Chapter 6: Highlighting and Organizing the ROF, SPL, CPL, GAP, RFW and POC
 
Chapter 7: Will the Reading Code Organization Sheet Work on Non-social Science Texts?
 
Chapter 8: Concluding Remarks

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a very practical text, and has a very useful reading codes framework for a new UG to use.

Mr Liam Higgins
Southampton Business School, Southampton Solent University
October 6, 2015

better used for a research methods type unit

Mr Liam Higgins
Southampton Business School, Southampton Solent University
October 6, 2015

The author introduces skills and mechanisms whereby a reader can obtain, record, and catalogue information/data from a number of sources and keep track of it, which is very useful for those engaged in research.

Mr adam choonara
Natural Sciences, Middlesex University
September 1, 2015

A clear guide providing useful information for all students

Mr Mark Gillespie
School of Nursing, University of the West of Scotland
October 7, 2015

This text is a good supplementary text to assist students with reading and understanding academic sources. It is a bit American at times.

Mrs Kathryn Nethercott
Department of Education, Bedfordshire University
December 9, 2015

THis text is vital in underpinning the development of a critical approach to reading research that students need to adopt in maturing as scholarsa nd researchers
It is very practical in orientation and makes useful links to the literature review process in social sciences research.

Dr Dominic Griffiths
Faculty of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University
July 23, 2015

Helped PG students significantly ( as per their feedback in choice and interpretation of relevant journal articles.

Dr Mohab Abou-Elkawam
Lairdside Maritime Centre, Liverpool John Moores University
April 27, 2016

I have recently adopted this alongside the Hart (1998) Doing a Literature Review text (our core text) because I find it a very useful and practical guide to help students improve their reading skills. The whole module focuses on how to evaluate literature and how this can shape your own research (for 1st yr PhD students and also some MRes students). We spend several weeks talking about how to interpret key sections of journal articles and how to write and organise notes from our readings and I find this book very helpful for that.

Dr Danielle Tucker
Essex Business School, University of Essex
August 3, 2015
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