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How To Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles

This document provides guidance on how to effectively read and comprehend scientific research articles. It recommends skimming the article in a specific order - abstract, discussion, introduction, results and methods - to identify the key points. The abstract contains the purpose, methodology, results and conclusion. The discussion explains how the results support the conclusions. The introduction stimulates interest and provides context, while the results state what was found and the data. Taking notes on key points like the title, abstract, figures and first/last sentences of the introduction can help clarify understanding.

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Luis Angel Tafur Trujillo
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118 views

How To Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles

This document provides guidance on how to effectively read and comprehend scientific research articles. It recommends skimming the article in a specific order - abstract, discussion, introduction, results and methods - to identify the key points. The abstract contains the purpose, methodology, results and conclusion. The discussion explains how the results support the conclusions. The introduction stimulates interest and provides context, while the results state what was found and the data. Taking notes on key points like the title, abstract, figures and first/last sentences of the introduction can help clarify understanding.

Uploaded by

Luis Angel Tafur Trujillo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Read and

Comprehend Scientific
Research Articles
How to read, take effective notes, and find the points in scientific research
articles
Scientific articles are how scholars and researchers
communicate with each other.

Reading a scientific article helps you become part of the


conversation of your discipline by learning about the
research that has come before you

Our objectives are:


1 - how to read a scientific article;
2 - how to find the main points of an article;
3 - how to take effective notes.
1 – How to read a scientific article
 The least effective way to read a scientific article is from start to finish.
How to do it?
By skimming the article to identify key findings.

 Structure is defined by several distinct sections. Most of them will have:


a) The abstract;
b) The introduction;
c) The methods;
d) The results;
e) The discussion.
The most effective way to read and article is: abstract, discussion, introduction, results
and methods.
 After reading through the articles in this order, you may ask yourself:

 Is this article interesting and relevant for my research assignment?


 Should I continue reading it?
The abstract
 The abstract usually contains four kinds of information:
1) The purpose of the study (why);
2) The methodology (how);
3) The results (what they found);
4) The conclusion (what it means).

 After reading the abstract ask yourself:


Is this article worth reading or should I move on to another one?
The discussion
 This section provides a clear answer to the question posed in the
introduction;
 Explains how the results support the conclusion;

 After reading the discussion you should ask yourself:


Do I understand and believe in the author’s claims?
The introduction
 The introduction serves two purposes:
 1) Stimulate interest;
 2) Put the article in a large context.

How?

General (already known) Specific (not yet known) Focused question

Authors discuss previous work and how their work relates to it.

After reading the introduction you should ask yourself:


a) Why did the researchers do this study?
b) Does the research question match up with the conclusions I read in the discussion?
The results
 This section states:
1) What the authors found;
2) Key data, often in figures and tables.

 After reading this section you should ask yourself:


a) Is the data collected appropriate to answer the research question?
b) Does the data support the conclusions?
The methods

This section deals with:


1) What experiments were done;
2) Can be difficult to read due to technical language and
details;
How to find the main points of a
scientific article: key places to look
 Title;
 Abstract;
 Keywords;
 Figure and table titles;
 First and last sentences of the introduction.
Key words to look out for:

“We hypothesize that...”


“We propose...”
“We introduce...”
How to take effective notes: good note-
taking saves times and helps clarify your
thoughts.
Sites: https://arxiv.org/search/
Sites:
https://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consult
as/coleta/veiculoPublicacaoQualis/listaConsultaGeral
Periodicos.jsf
Sites:
https://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/veiculoPublicacaoQualis/lis
taConsultaGeralPeriodicos.jsf
Sites: http://qualis.ic.ufmt.br/
Sites: http://qualis.ic.ufmt.br/
Sites: https://github.com
Sites: https://github.com
Sites: https://www.overleaf.com

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