How to Comprehend Scientific Articles

How to read Scientific Articles

Finding main points

Taking effective notes

Structure of Scientific Articles

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. Methods
  4. Results
    5.Discussion

Order:

  1. Abstract
  2. Discussion
  3. Introduction
  4. Results
  5. Methods

Scientific articles can be lengthy; therefore, this order allows for ease in deciding if the article is relevant or interesting

Abstracts Contain 4 sections:

  1. Purpose of Study
  2. Methodology
  3. Results
  4. Conclusion
  5. Summary of the paper

Discission:

  1. Clearly answers the questions posed in the intro
  2. Explains how the results support the conclusions
  3. Identify implications of results for future research.

Introduction

  1. Stimulate Interest
  2. Puts the article in large context
  3. Usually flows from general to specific statements to arrive at a focused question.
  4. Contains the relevant background information

Methods

  1. What experiments were done
  2. Can be difficult to read due to technical language and details

Results

  1. States what the authors found
  2. Key data in the form of figures and tables

Questions to ask after reading each section, before moving on to the next.

Methods:

  1. Does the setup of the experiment create any inconsistencies that may cause bias in the results?

Discussion: Do I understand and believe the author's claims?


Abstract: Is the article worth reading?


Introduction: Why did the researchers do this study?


Does the research question match up with the conclusions I found in the discussion?

Results: Is the data collected, appropriate to answer the research question and does it support the conclusion?

Key places to look


  1. Title
  2. Abstract
  3. Keywords
  4. Figure and Table Titles
  5. First and last sentences of the introduction

Key words and phrases

  1. We hypothesize that
  2. We propose
  3. We introduce

Try making an standardized note template

Benefits

  1. Saves time since the placement for each piece of information is defined

Allows for quick comparisons between research articles

  1. Saves time re-reading articles

Key information to glean from the articles

  1. The overall purpose of the research
  2. The general experimental/study approach
  3. The key results
  4. The significance of the work

Utilize checklists and keep track of key contents of the paper as you read

Write down your questions as you read and do further research into concepts or words you do not understand