Reading a Scientific Article

1. Reading a Scientific Article Mike Stegman CCI July 1, 2010

2. How to start • Leaf through the article & examine the figures, illustrations, etc. • Skim the article to determine its organization. • Carefully read the abstract. • Use mindful, questioning reading. • Active engagement with text.

3. Knowing what to expect • General Organization: IMRD • Introduction, purpose or rationale (why they did it) • Methods (how they did it) • Results (what they found) • Discussion (what it means) • Abstract (mimics general organization) • Emphasizes why the research was done (I) • Emphasizes why the results are significant (D) • Major findings

4. Details to note • Title • Note specific information and key words: esp. verb, adjectives, key noun indicating the general area of interest/result, etc. • Summarizes the work of the article, can clarify your expectations of the paper and get your attention. • Author • When doing extensive research, noting the author(s) and how often you encounter them may be helpful in weighing the significance of the work, anticipating the topic and interests of the author(s), etc.

5. More details to note, Introduction • Introduction • Lays out the purpose/rationale of the study. • Provides background information. • Moves from general to the specific. • Uses a review of the “literature” to indicate how this study distinguishes itself from other research into this area of interest. • Can set out general knowledge of the field, note the catalyst for this research, indicate what may not be known, reveal the particular focus of this research, raise the questions it will answer. • Sometimes, the findings are broadly stated so that you know what answers the research has found.

6. More details to note, Methods • Methods • Compressed descriptions of the experiments and the methods used to conduct them. • May rely on citations to assist with compressing this section. The chain of citations may not provide enough clarity for you to understand the experiment itself. • Reading this section carefully can lead you to consider whether or not the methods and experiments were sufficient to provide for useful and consistent results. You will need to be a “critical” reader here. • Multiple lines of evidence, from different directions vs. one line of evidence. • Sometimes, depending on the journal, methods are often placed in endnotes or in the legends of the figures and tables; lately, this material is available online.

7. More details to note, Results • Results • This section containts, as expected, the results. • Check for clarity, completeness, relation of results to the purpose of the research. • This section is often characterized by factual statements. Be sure to test these statements for accuracy, completeness, and bias. • Explore whether or not the results presented substantiate the author’s claims. • There may or may not be an interpretation of the results here since that may happen in the next section. • Results may raise additional questions.

8. More details to note, Discussion • Discussion • Interprets/Analyzes the results, including limitations of the results if found. • Delineates the logic that establishes how the results support the conclusions provided. • Discusses the context of this research: Findings are related to other findings in the field. (contribution/corrective) • Often restates the significance of the study as first stated in the introduction. • Be aware of unsubstantiated speculation or even understatement. Crick and Watson ended their presentation on the structure of DNA with the sentence: “It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.”

9. Even more details to note • Words • Denotation: your responsibility to look up words you may not know; context can help sometimes. • Connotation: emphasis, significance, bias • Structural cues (first, second, last, etc.) • Relational cues (and, but, however, etc.)

10. Mindful, questioning reading • While reading • How do I know I am getting this? • Do I need more background before I can evaluate this research? • Is it me, or is this paper not making any sense? • Who can help me to sort out the confusing parts of this paper? • What is worth noting and why?

11. Mindful, questioning reading • After reading • What specific problem does this research address? • Why is this important? • Is the method used a good one? Is there a better way? • Can I summarize the specific findings? • Are the conclusions supported by persuasive evidence? How do I know this? • Is there the possibility for alternative interpretations of the data? • What does this mean to me and my own interests? • How does this paper relate to other papers on the same/similar topic? • What further experiments could grow out of this paper’s conclusions that might answer some of its lingering questions?

12. Finally • Take notes • COMPLETE Citation • Key words • General subject • Specific subject • Hypothesis • Methodology • Result(s) • Summary of key points • Context • Significance • Important figures, tables, etc. • Cited references worth following up on