Let's now look at the article by Flamholtz. You will need to have the copy in front of you, so that you can follow the steps.

First, whenever you start to read an academic article, remind yourself what journal the article is taken from.

What is the journal from which the article is taken?
In this case, it is Accounting, Organizations and Society. Remember that this is an academic journal, ie one that contains articles that are mainly read by academics. They are intended to be read by academics engaged in theorising and undertaking empirical work in issues to do with accounting, organizations and society. The intended readers will already have considerable knowledge of this area.

Moreover, this is a high-ranking academic journal: you can be certain that articles that get published in this journal have been judged to be of a very high standard. It is probable that most articles submitted for possible publication will be rejected by the journal: not because they are not very good, but because the journal receives too many very high quality articles and can only publish a few.

So, as a student, you can expect to find articles in this journal difficult. Reading them is hard work. And so it should be, if a degree is to be considered an important indicator of a high level of education.

However, by adopting some key reading practices, you can make the task of reading somewhat less difficult and more efficient. The following notes are intended to help you to apply such practices.

But first let's dispel some common misunderstandings.

First, an academic journal should not be read in the same way as a letter, a newspaper report, or a short story or novel. Do not just start at the beginning and try to read through to the end.

Many students get frustrated when they start reading an article from the beginning, then soon find that they can't understand what the author is saying. Even worse, some students feel that they must lack the ability to study at this level. The problem is a simple one: the article wasn't intended to be read in that way, so don't do it!

Secondly, the contents of an academic article cannot be grasped by a single reading. You have to engage with it several times - but in different ways.

It's a bit like starting as a student at university. So many buildings, so many rooms! At first you will probably just discover important rooms such as where enrolment takes place, where the canteens are, the rooms where your classes take place, the library. But over a few days and weeks, as you constantly move around the campus, you gradually build up your knowledge of what is where. And it's not just university buildings: there's the immediate area, houses, shops, roads, bus route, etc. You go to some of these, and go past others, many times and at different times, and very quickly build up your knowledge of the University campus and its surrounding area.

Similarly, repeated engagement with a journal article helps you develop your understanding of what the article presents (but it doesn't take months or even weeks!).

Go now to part 3