pick out a current issue of a journal in your discipline. You can also search for an article through one of the library's databases; some popular databases are Academic Search Complete, ProQuest, or PsychINFO. When finding a research article, look for these headings: Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, and Discussion. AVOID choosing an article with "Systematic Review", "Literature Review", or "Meta-Analysis" in the titlesince these types of articles are not based on an original study. Also, avoid studies with "Qualitative" in the title since this is a different paradigm of research that does not use statistics.

Read an article that interests you and then, in a paragraph, answer the following questions about that article:

1. What were the independent and dependent variables in the study you read? (Remember, the independent variable (described in your text), is the variable that is manipulated or that created groups or that we think influences another variable, the dependent variable. The dependent variable is a variable we measure to see the effect of the independent variable).
2. What were the authors trying to show in their article (In other words, what was the context of the study they are reporting on)?
3. What was the most important result of the study (Or, what was the authors' "take-home" message)?