Writing in the Biological Sciences by Angelika H. Hofmann Chapter 6: Literature Structure & Chapter 11: Reading, Summarizing, and Critiquing a Scientific Research Article (Fourth Edition)

Writing in the Biological Sciences by Angelika H. Hofmann
Chapter 6: Literature Structure & Chapter 11: Reading, Summarizing, and Critiquing a Scientific Research Article
(Fourth Edition)

Chapter 6

Chapter 11

References: Hofmann AH. 2016. Writing in the biological sciences : a comprehensive resource for scientific communication. New York: Oxford University Press.

11.1 Content of a Scientific Research Article

6.1 Searching the Literature

Understand what information to look for and where to find it in a research article: Reading and understanding primary articles or research papers is mainly a matter of experience and knowledge of the specific vocabulary of a field. This makes it hard and overwhelming for some readers who have no knowledge of these specific topics. That way we are trying to make the research paper or article as smooth as possible for everyone. This turns to what we mainly need in the article; (1) The overall purpose of the research (2) The general experiment/study approach (3) The key results (4) The significance of the work. All of these key purposes towards the structure of the research paper; Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.

11.2 Reading a Research Paper

Read research papers directedly: (1) Gain on overview first. (2) Clarity questions and unfamiliar terminology (3) Take notes. First read the Abstract, Introduction, and Conclusion. then Read through the entire paper to get a fully understanding. Reread the paper again for a even fuller understanding.

11.3 Writing a Summary of a Research Paper

Thinking of a Summary as an expanded version of the Abstract, written in your own words. Summarizing can help you learn the primary scientific purpose, how to write research papers, and the research process itself. This way you can then verify what was done, what the outcome was, and what the main purpose is. Focus on these main questions: (1) What is the overall purpose of the research? (2) How does the research fit into the context of its field? (3) What was the general experiment/study approach? (4) What are the key findings? (5) How are the reported findings different or better? (6) What are the major conclusions drawn from the findings? (7) What is the overall importance of the work?

11.4 Critiquing a Research Paper

Critique a research paper, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the research, its presentation, and interpretation; evaluate the work done by the another author. we want to make sure everything is in an orderly matter and yet we can still understand what the author is trying to present. In specific sections of the research article you are looking for specific critiques.

Know where the source is from; look up where to find the source and make sure the scientific information exists and is updated. The more reliable source, the better the information and the more accurate the information is presented. Distinguish between primary, secondary and tertiary sources.

6.2 Scientific Reference Database

Become familiar with the most important science databases; Google Scholar, Highwire, Medline, Pubmed, Web of Science, BIOSIS, Current Contents, and Scopus. For some of the databases, you would need a subscription. A longer list of major databases and search engines for finding articles in academic journals can be found on Wikipedia.

6.3 Source Material

Use appropriate search terms; look for author, title, date of publication, journal name, volume number, etc. Select the most relevant references; you can find many references related to your topic but they might not fully define what your topic is about. You want to find the main details of your topic. The more relevant the references, the better the information can be applied to your content and help structure the flow of the research paper. Verify your references against the original document; some have a higher rate of error if coming from an unreliable source.

6.4 Making Sources

Manage your references well; keep a list of your references to help organize and keep track of what references you are citing. Make sure they are in the correct manuscript. make sure you have a Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary source. Use appropriate search terms. Select the most relevant references. Read through the articles and make sure they are updated., exist and have appropriate information.