COMM 100 Thomas : Strategic Reading

The title is usually what grabs your attention first. If it looks relevant, move on to the Abstract, located below the title in the article.

Example article title:

"An Investigation into the Impact of Pre-Adolescent Training on Canine Behavior."

The Abstract is a very brief summary of the article. Huge time-saver!

Read it in a few seconds to find:

• The need or problem that warrants examination.
• Who/what was studied and how (method).
• Findings of the study -what the authors learned.

Can you find these in the abstract? 

Abstract: Current thinking about puppy training is that it should be performed as early in a dog’s life as possible to prevent the later development of behavior problems. However, no study has been performed to see if early puppy training (before 3 months of age) does present clear advantages over training at a later age, in terms of the subsequent development of adult behavior problems. This retrospective study examined the age at which adult dogs were trained as puppies and whether there were advantages of training puppies before 4 months of age or between 5 and 6 months of age. We found no difference in the age of puppy training and the subsequent development of behavior problems. Aggression, compulsive behavior, destructive behavior, and excessive barking were all reduced in dogs that had attended puppy training before 6 months of age compared to a control group of dogs that had not attended puppy training classes. Ancillary findings about the entire study population were that dogs acquired as pups at 12 weeks of age or less had reduced odds of exhibiting fear or anxiety and engaging in destructive behavior. In addition, male dogs were found to have reduced odds of developing aggressive behavior, compulsive behavior, and mounting/humping and increased odds of rolling in repulsive materials. Neutered dogs of either sex were found to have increased odds of developing fear and anxiety, increased odds of escaping/running away, exhibiting coprophagia, and rolling in repulsive materials. The odds of problematic jumping decreased with age.

The Introduction describes the author's claim. The claim here is that research has been done on other areas of this topic, but this article examines something new. 

Introduction sample: According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) position statement, puppy socialization should start as early as 7 or 8 weeks, and structured training classes before 3 months of age [13]. A study of dogs living in urban environments with no training between 7 and 16 weeks were more likely to be fearful as adults [14]. 

In the Literature Review, the authors describe past work of other researchers on this topic. Lists lots of author names and years of publications. Usually located after the Introduction. 

Lit review sample: Prediction of an adult dog’s social behavior relies on many factors stemming from the intersections of heredity and the external environment [1]. The learning process further influences behavior through trial and error [2]. Dog owners intervene proactively in this process by enlisting the help of dog trainers to teach them how to reinforce desired behaviors and suppress unwanted behaviors through antecedent management and structured lessons [3,4]. Most agree that dog owners (guardians) who learn and employ best practices rooted in reward-based training for managing and preventing undesired behaviors in dogs establish a more trusting and prolonged relationship [5,6,7,8].

The method section of a scholarly journal article outlines the research design, procedures, and techniques used to collect and analyze data, ensuring the study can be replicated. It typically includes details on participants, materials, and the step-by-step process followed during the research.

Method sample

2.1. Data Collection

The questionnaire for this study was developed via group consensus by a panel of subject matter professionals and experts in the field. For electronic data capture, the questionnaire was hosted online using Typeform, an online survey service platform. A link to the public questionnaire was posted on social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) and distributed to members of the Center for Canine Behaviors Studies via email. Data collection spanned 6 weeks starting from the first day of September 2019. The study was open to all dog owners and the questionnaire was designed to collect information about a single dog.

In the Results section of a scholarly article, the authors present the core findings of their research without interpretation. This part of the paper tells the story of what the activity in the Method section revealed.

Key patterns, trends, and statistically significant results are highlighted, often supported by tables, figures, or charts.

Results example

Responses for 1095 dogs were submitted by 669 dog owners. After application of our inclusion criteria, responses for 1023 dogs from 641 dog owners remained. The median number of dog responses submitted per household was one dog response (range: 1 to 8 dog responses per household). The median age of the dogs was 7 years (range: 1 to 19 years). Forty-nine percent (n = 497) of the dogs in the study were males, 89% (n = 441) of which were castrated; 51% (n = 526) were females, 86% (n = 450) of which were spayed. In total, 87% (n = 891) of dogs in the study were neutered.

Ninety-nine percent (n = 1016) of dogs in the study were reported to have exhibited at least one type of behavior problem. The prevalence of the investigated behavior problems were as follows: 78% (n = 798) house soiling, 70% (n = 713) fear/anxiety, 54% (n = 549) aggression, 42% (n = 428) rolling in repulsive materials, 37% (n = 381) coprophagia, 25% (n = 254) compulsion, 22% (n = 230) escaping/running away, 22% (n = 230) problematic jumping, 21% (n = 217) excessive barking, 19% (n = 190) mounting/humping, 13 % (n = 131) destruction, and 11% (n = 116) hyperactive/overactive.

The discussion section serves as the interpretive heart of a scholarly article.

Here, the authors move beyond the raw data to explore what the results mean in the broader context of the field. Authors often compare their results with previous studies, highlighting consistencies or discrepancies and offering possible explanations. They may also discuss the implications of their findings for theory, practice, or future research.

• Interprets the results, explaining their significance of what they found in this study.
• It also often suggests directions for future research.

Discussion sample

Principle Findings

We set out to investigate the potential effects of puppy training on the subsequent development of behavior problems in three different age groups up to 6 months of age and to compare positive reward-based versus punishment-based techniques.

Even though most professionals advocate early training to coincide with the sensitive period of learning, we found no difference between the subsequent behavioral effects of puppy training when comparing across dogs that began puppy training at 1–3 months, 4 months, and 5–6 months of age. Instead, we found that puppy training at any age in the first 6 months of a puppy’s life was associated with reduced odds of adult dogs displaying aggression, compulsive behavior, excessive barking, and destructive behavior