Throughout your coursework in business at NDNU, you'll be assigned to use peer-reviewed articles in research, writing, and presentations. Articles published in peer-reviewed publications are a main method of professional communication for business scholars and practitioners. Researchers present the findings of their studies on a narrow topic and connect those findings to the foundations of the field in structured articles that undergo a rigorous review process before they're published in a scholarly journal. These journals are also called 'periodicals' because they're published periodically (usually around 2–8 times per year). Since they're published so often, articles in journals include some of the most recent research available.
By reading and working with these articles in your own research, you'll become familiar with the professional jargon of business, the ways that scholars communicate with each other, and trends in the field.
Through the Gellert Library's databases, you have access to thousands of peer-reviewed articles from scholarly journals. Check out these databases for a solid start to your business research:
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ABI/INFORM CollectionThousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, business and economics periodicals, reports, and data for coverage of business and economic trends. |
Business Source CompleteBusiness journals and magazines, many in full-text, covering all disciplines of business. Also includes non-journal content such as reports, company profiles, and case studies. |
Regional Business NewsFull-text regional business publications in the United States and Canada. |
Other great databases include:
Articles from other disciplines might also be fruitful for your research. Click here to view all the Gellert Library's databases.
Articles selected through anonymous review, reviews, syntheses, applications and critiques focused on organizational and management theory aimed at members of the Academy of Management.
A general-interest economics review published by the American Economic Association since 1911.
Publishes original contributions that add to the understanding of business responses to improving development, as well as contributing to national and international development goals.
Devoted to the study and improvement of marketing and serves as a vital link between scholarly research and practice by publishing research-based articles in the substantive domain of marketing.
Original articles and reviews concerning ethical issues related to business, and analyses of systems of production, consumption, marketing, advertising, social and economic accounting, public relations and organizational behavior from a moral viewpoint.
A double-blind peer-reviewed journal published by the Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines since 2004.
A leading quarterly journal of critical, normative, and theoretical dialogue in public administration.
Articles, commentary and book reviews in all aspects of public administration, published by the American Society for Public Administration.
Reports, reviews and assesses the practice of public administration at local, regional, national and international levels where this is directed to development in less industrialised and transitional economies.
Published since 1947, this journal brings social science disciplines together in order to understand the character and complexity of human problems.
Publishes research at the intersection of management, organizations, and environmental sustainability.
Peer-reviewed journal articles share the same structure and components. Those components include:
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Abstract READ FIRST |
A brief summary of the research, including the hypothesis and a summary of the methods and results. This section will also describe any implications of the results. (Always read the abstract first! This will help you decide whether the article is relevant to your own project.) |
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Introduction READ SECOND |
This section of the paper discusses in detail what is being investigated and sets the project in the context of previous work that has been done on the topic. This is often referred to as the "literature review" section of the paper. (This is a great section to refer to closely if you're curious about what other research has been done on this topic.) |
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Methods SKIM |
The method section details how data were gathered for the study. Information includes the study participants, the specific mechanics of the study, measures that were used, and detailed accounts of the procedure used for gathering data. (In your first reading of most articles, you can skim this section. If you decide to use the article for your own project, read the methods section in detail later on.) |
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Results SKIM |
The results section tells the reader what results were found in the study and whether or not the hypothesis was confirmed or disconfirmed. This section includes detailed data and will explain how the data was analyzed. (The results section can sometimes be overwhelming because of the amount of detail, especially if the study uses a method you're not familiar with yet. In your first reading of most articles, you can skim this section. Return back later for a closer reading.) |
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Discussion READ THIRD |
The discussion section describes, in simple language, the implications of the results of the experiment. They interpret the data to explain what the results may mean in a broader context. They may also describe any weaknesses or limitations in their research design. (Always read the discussion section! This is the "so what?" section of empirical research papers.) |
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Conclusion READ FOURTH |
Conclusion sections in empirical articles tend to be quite short. Authors will often outline plans for future work in this section, along with a brief summary. |
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References SKIM |
Every publication that an author refers to in their article will be included in a reference list at the end. (Use the reference list to help guide your own research.) |
| The information in this table is adapted with thanks from Hesburgh Libraries. (2024). Tips for Reading Scholarly Journal Articles in Psychology. University of Notre Dame. https://libguides.library.nd.edu/reading-psych-articles |
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