5. How to read a scientific article
Skim for key findings
6. How to read a scientific article
The structure of most scientific articles
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Discussion
7. How to read a scientific article
The most effective order to read an article
1. Abstract
2. Discussion
3. Introduction
4. Results
5. Methods
8. How to read a scientific article
Is this article worth reading?
1. Purpose of the study (why)
2. Methodology (how)
3. Results (what they found)
4. Conclusion (what it means)
The Abstract
9. How to read a scientific article
1. Clearly answers the question posed in the
introduction
Do I understand and believe the author’s claims?
The Discussion
2. Explains how the results support the conclusions
10. How to read a scientific article
1. Stimulate interest
Why did the researchers do this study?
The Introduction
2. Put the article in larger context
GENERAL SPECIFIC FOCUSED QUESTION
Does the research question match up with the conclusions
I read in the discussion?
11. How to read a scientific article
1. What the authors found
Is thedata collected appropriate to answer the research
question?
The Results
2. Key data, often in figures and tables
Does the data support the conclusions?
12. How to read a scientific article
1. What experiments were done
The Methods
2. Can be difficult to read due to technical
language and details
13. How to find the main points of a scientific article
1. Title
Key places to look
2. Abstract
3. Keywords
4. Figure and Table Titles
5. First and last sentencec of the Introduction
14. How to find the main points of a scientific article
1. “We hypothesize that . . .”
Key words to look out for
2. “We propose . . .”
3. “We introduce . . .”
15. How to take effective notes
Good note-taking saves time and helps clarify your thoughts
16. How to take effective notes
Good note-taking saves time and helps clarify your thoughts
17. Effectively Reading Scientific Articles
Read Order Read Order Read Order
1. Abstract
2. Discussion
3. Introduction
4. Results
5. Methods
