How Reading Psychology Articles Can Help You

Updated March 25, 2024by MyTherapist Editorial Team

When someone thinks about psychology articles, they may imagine something published at a pop psychology website, where they take psychological studies and concepts and publish them in a way that’s easy for the public to understand. On the other hand, articles published in academic journals are often much more complex than that.

Whether someone is studying psychology or is simply interested in psychological theory, they may not want to rely on pop psychology. Academic journals may be the best source of information—but they can be intimidating.

In this post, we’ll talk about these articles, how to read them, and where to find them. If you are studying psychology or are simply interested in topics in the field of psychology, this guide can help you navigate these sometimes-byzantine articles.

Where do psychologists publish?

When someone makes a discovery or performs a study, they often publish them in a scientific or academic journal. These findings are detailed, and most of the public does not read these articles from the source, as they can be tricky to interpret. If you’re interested in psychology, in can be a good idea to study these articles to be up on all the latest findings.

Where can you find articles related to psychology?

Doing a quick search on the internet, you should be able to find many free articles through the American Psychological Association or though most universities and colleges. Some articles may be located behind a paywall, but there may be ways around that, such as looking through different sources.

Why people read psychology articles

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People read articles on psychology for many reasons. These include:

Educational purposes

Someone who is studying psychology will need to read many primary source articles. Even someone who casually takes a psychology class in high school may have to read one for an assignment. If you are serious about a career in psychology, you should learn how to read journals. When it’s time to read them for an assignment, you’ll be prepared and can get a head start. Other times, you may need to read one if you want to write a critique for a paper.

Keeps you in the loop

If you want to be involved in psychology, you should stay in the loop about the latest psychological findings. You never know when there will be a discovery that changes how the world views a particular topic. The psychological methods you use may end up not being as good as you thought, as science is always changing and evolving. Psychology hinges upon embracing change and applying that change in practice.

For pleasure

There are some who read these articles out of curiosity and because they find them entertaining. It’s intriguing to know how our mind works. Consciousness and the brain in general are far from being fully understood, and through frequent studies and findings, we are slowly unlocking the pieces that will complete the puzzle.

Because clickbait distorts

News publications, particularly those who deal with pop psychology, can misinterpret a psychology article to make the findings seem more exciting. The general public sees the world in black and white, and a clickbait site may misinterpret the results to remove any nuance or gray areas. People want a definitive answer, but science is not about that.

For example, imagine there is a study claiming that taking a certain medication causes baldness. The study’s results say that there may be a link, but further research has to be done. There weren’t enough variables, the group was too small, and there was a bit of uncertainty. A publication could take this study and promote that it proves that the medication causes baldness, ignoring the skepticism of the study.

That’s one reason why it’s important to read articles from the source rather than through the filter of clickbait. 

You may wonder why more people don’t read articles at the source. There are many reasons. First, many don’t have the time or the desire to read the article. They don’t even read the clickbait article half the time and instead focus on the headline. The average person isn’t unintelligent, but they desire instant results, and they don’t usually wait for the answer to be revealed.

Also, these articles are often not at the public’s reading level. They are academic and filled with buzzwords and jargon. If you’re good at reading, you can learn how to read them, but it takes practice and patience, something that many don’t have.

Reading an academic article

You don’t need to be an expert to read these articles. Keep these things in mind as you read.

Look at how the article is structured

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Once you look at the article, it may appear like it’s nothing but a jumble. This is because of how overwhelming it is at first, but if you sit back, you may realize that there is more structure than you think. Many psychology articles conform to an APA format, and when you understand the format, everything else comes together. 

The abstract

This is the first paragraph, and it summarizes the contents of the article, telling you what is being studied. For the general public, this section provides an easy way to determine if the article interests you or is a good fit for whatever it is you’re studying.

Introduction

This section gives you a summary of what the subject of the paper is. It tells you about past studies, the research that has gone into the topic, the problems encountered, and gives a general overview of everything else, meaning that you can get a better understanding before reading the full paper.

Method selection

In this part, you learn how the study was conducted. Learning how they performed the study is important because if they don’t use variables for control, have a small group, or don’t rely on other principles, the study might not be that reliable. However, if there appear to be many variables and a larger group, the study will often be more valid.

Results

We have reached the conclusion, and this is the part where you want to pay attention and avoid skimming if you can. Read the results carefully, making sure you don’t miss any points or other facts.

Discussion

The implications of the study will be found in the results. They may discuss how the study affects psychology, if more studying needs to be done, and if the results even matter in the first place. Reading the discussion is vital as well, and you shouldn’t skip it.

References

In the introduction, they mentioned past studies. You can find links to these studies, along with other pertinent information, in the references section, which is good if you need to find more for your study on this topic.

How to master reading these articles

Here are a few tips to make reading these articles easier.

Skim them

Skimming almost feels like cheating. To understand the article fully, you should read every word from beginning to end, right? Not necessarily. You can read carefully, only to discover halfway through the article that it isn’t for you. Instead, skim around, looking for the important parts. Pay close attention to the conclusion, and if the article is a fit for what you need, then you can read it carefully.

Take notes

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If you’re writing a paper on this study, you can highlight or take notes on the key parts. This will provide you with everything you may need to reference in one convenient location. Also, write down any words that you don’t understand. These articles tend to be filled with scientific terms with no explanation. Look up their definitions for more context.

The important information will depend on what you’re looking for. Take careful notes from the section which best suits your purpose for reading.

Read the references

Take a look at the references provided at the end of the article. There are many reasons to do this, such as gathering more information if you’re writing a paper, but you should do this because you never know if the article is misinterpreting the references. Peek at the references to make sure they are being used accurately.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

It’s okay to be a little confused when it comes to the paper. You’re not a full-blown psychologist, and you aren’t expected to understand everything. Your professor, or anyone else who is an expert on academic papers, should be honored to assist you. Even psychologists in the field have a difficult time reading some papers. 

Takeaway

These are just a few reasons why someone might want to read psychology articles. Even though they’re not always easy to read at first, with a little trial and error, you can figure them out, and you can learn all there is to know about what’s going on in the world of psychology. If you want a degree in psychology, it’s especially important that you learn how to read them.

Whether you're studying psychology or are simply interested in science, you may have worries about your own psychology, particularly your mental health. In addition to finding academic information online, therapy can also be found online.

Many people, especially those who are tech-savvy, have found online therapy to be a great way to work on their mental health. It's convenient and often cost-effective. There's no need to go to a physical office or miss work or school.

BetterHelp is an online therapy platform. All the therapists connected with BetterHelp are licensed. They can support you whether you are dealing with a mental health disorder or if you are experiencing a big life change or stressor. Just fill in the questionnaire and you can get matched with a therapist.

As a bonus, your BetterHelp therapist might just be able to walk you through that complicated psychology article you found online.

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