1) first paragraph: general background—What do we know about the topic? What does this study add to what we know (what’s new here)? What is the hypothesis or research question?
2) second paragraph: describe their methodology—who are the participants and what did they do in the study? NOTE: if the article you selected does not have a Method section, then you’re summarizing the wrong kind of article.
3) third paragraph: what did the authors find? Describe this in general terms – there’s no need to report their means, F-ratios, and so forth, but be sure to address all the key findings.
4) fourth paragraph: What do these results mean? Do they support the hypothesis? If so, how? If not, why? What are the shortcomings of the present study? Do their findings suggest possibilities for future research?
Sample Solution