When summarizing an APA-style journal article, which section comes first?

The first section of an APA-style journal article that is summarized is the abstract. The abstract serves as a concise summary of the entire study, providing a quick overview of the research question, methods, results, and conclusions. This section is typically situated at the beginning of the article, allowing readers to grasp the essential elements without delving into the full content.

By starting with the abstract when summarizing an article, you efficiently present the most critical aspects of the paper, which can guide the reader in understanding the research's relevance and context before examining the more detailed sections that follow. Each of the other sections, such as the introduction, results, and discussion, builds upon the points initiated in the abstract, but they are not the starting point for a summary.