Some key characteristics will help you distinguish between research and review articles. A research article is describes an experiment that attempts to solve or address a very specific problem/issue. These articles always contain the standard sections:
Abstract - This is a brief paragraph description of the inner-workings of the article. The abstract allows scholars and scientists to ascertain what the article is about in just a few seconds.
Introduction - This section states the purpose of the article, defining the problem and putting it into context. It may include a review of the published literature on the topic.
Review of literature - This section is usually located just after the research description. The review summarizes the results of other experiments that have been done in the past.
Method - This section contains a detailed description of the approach the researchers have taken to test the idea, problem, or issue.
Results - The Results of the experiment or test is explained after the Method description.
Discussion or Conclusion - This is where the researchers interpret the results of the experiment or test and create meaning.
The research article always ends with a "Bibliography" or "References" or "Works Cited" section.
This interactive tutorial (hosted by NCSU Library System) illustrates the components of a journal article:
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/
Question: What's a variable?
Answer: A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category you are trying to measure. There are two types of variables-independent and dependent.
Question: What's an independent variable?
Answer: An independent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone's age might be an independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. In fact, when you are looking for some kind of relationship between variables you are trying to see if the independent variable causes some kind of change in the other variables, or dependent variables.
Question: What's a dependent variable?
Answer: Just like an independent variable, a dependent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score could be a dependent variable because it could change depending on several factors such as how much you studied, how much sleep you got the night before you took the test, or even how hungry you were when you took it. Usually when you are looking for a relationship between two things you are trying to find out what makes the dependent variable change the way it does.
Many people have trouble remembering which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable. An easy way to remember is to insert the names of the two variables you are using in this sentence in they way that makes the most sense. Then you can figure out which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable:
(Independent variable) causes a change in (Dependent Variable) and it isn't possible that (Dependent Variable) could cause a change in (Independent Variable).
For example: (Time Spent Studying) causes a change in (Test Score) and it isn't possible that (Test Score) could cause a change in (Time Spent Studying).
We see that "Time Spent Studying" must be the independent variable and "Test Score" must be the dependent variable because the sentence doesn't make sense the other way around.
Source credit: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/variables.asp