Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
How to Read Scientific Research Articles - Coggle Diagram
How to Read Scientific Research Articles
Tutorial: How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles
Main Idea of Scientific Research Articles
Scientific Research articles are how scholars and researchers communicate with each other. (umnLIbraries 2014)
How to read these articles
skim for key findings
Follow the ADIRM order of reading the article
Take notes
There are five distinct sections
Abstract
purpose (why?)
methodology (how?)
results (what was found?)
conclusion (what do the results mean?)
introduction
stimulates interest
puts article in larger context (general -> specific -> focused)
methods
what experiments were done?
can be hard to read due to technical language and details
results
what the author found
key data
discussion
clearly answers the question posed in the introduction.
explains how the results support the conclusion
Questions to ask
What is interesting and/or relevant enough to warrant making an articles findings part of your project? (umnLibraries 2014)
Key Words
"we propose..." (umnLibraries 2014)
"we hypothesize that..." (umnLibraries 2014)
"we introduce..." (umnLibraries 2014)
Chapter 10
Content of Scientific Research Article
Understand what information to look for and where to find it in a scientific article. (Hofmann 2019)
Abstract
Introduction
materials and methods
results
discussion
Reading a Research Article
Then, read through the entire paper. (Hofmann 2019)
Re-read the paper again to fully understand. (Hofmann 2019)
Start by reading the abstract, the introduction, and the conclusion. (Hofmann 2019)
Read research in a directed way: gain an overview, clarify questions, and then take notes. (Hofmann 2019)
Writing a summary of a research article
Think of a summary as an expanded version of the abstract, written in your own words. (Hofmann 2019)
what is the purpose of the research?
How does the research fit into the context of its field?
What is the general experimental approach?
What are the key findings
How are reported findings better or different?
What conclusions can be drawn from the findings?
How is this work important?
Critiquing a research article
To critique a research article, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the research, its interpretation, and presentation. (Hofmann 2019)
Introduction
Is the purpose clearly stated?
Are the ideas original?
Is the background information relevant?
methods
Did the authors use appropriate measurements and procedures?
Is the authors' approach needed to answer the question of the paper?
discussion
Has the overall research question been answered?
Is it clear how the research fits into the context of the field?
Does the work make an important contribution to the field?
conclusions
Are the conclusions justified?
What would one add to the conclusion?
What would one say differently?
importance
How important is the work?
results
Did the authors obtain the expected results?
Are the result correctly interpreted?
Were all controls met?
Are the assumptions made realistic?
Are figures and tables explained clearly?
Are the key findings clear?
Works Cited
Hofmann A.H. (2019) Writing in the Biological Sciences: A Comprehensive Resource for Scientific Communication 3rd Edition. New York (NY). Oxford University Press.
umnLibraries. (2014) Tutorial: How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles. Youtube. [Accessed 2022 Feb 9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2K6mJkSWoA&t=303s