Posted: July 4th, 2015

How to Read a Scientific Paper

Scientific research and experiments have played a big role in expanding knowledge in different fields. Scholars and academicians heavily rely on these experiments and research to quench their thirst for knowledge and to seek for answers to some of the unexplained phenomena. There are many scientific papers produced by different researchers. There authenticity and reliability of these papers diverge. Therefore, it is important for an individual to have specific skills that can help in the identification of a reliable paper. This essay will explore the ways that should be used in reading a scientific paper. Through the insights that will be provided by the paper, one can gather a lot of relevant information and knowledge from scientific papers.

When reading a scientific paper, it is indispensable to start from the introduction. Accordingly, the reader has first to skim through the entire paper in order to identify the structure. The reader should start with the abstract then the introduction, the methods, the results and the introduction (Andreatta, 2009). Each of these sections usually comprises of the conventional features. Consequently, the reader has to read with an anticipation of these features to go through the article faster and understand more. Starting with the introduction is crucial. This is with the explication that the introduction provided the background of the study and the scientific questions. Therefore, it provides initial information that acts as a guideline to the reading of the entire paper (American Society of Plant Biologists, 2013).

After skimming through the scientific paper, the reader should be able to identify the main points. It might be intricate to separate the main points from the subordinate ones. In order to identify the main points, the reader can use the title, abstracts, keywords, the visuals including the titles of the tables and figures and the first or last sentences of the introduction (American Society of Plant Biologists, 2013). This highlights the importance of starting from the introduction rather than going straight to the methodologies, results, and discussions. Thus, the introduction will also help in the determination of its main points (Andreatta, 2009). Identification of the paper’s main points should be the first step in the reading of a scientific paper. One should not down the questions the paper is aimed at addressing and the answers the paper offers. Additionally, the reader should summarize the paper’s conclusions (American Society of Plant Biologists, 2013).

Subsequently, the readers should state the general experimental strategy utilized in the paper. In this, the reader should indicate the methods the author has used in addressing the questions to generate answers. The reader should not go into in-depth analysis of the methods but use a general approach (Andreatta, 2009). After identification of the methods, the reader should gather information pertaining to how the experimental approach works. This should be done by considering the one or two experiments summarized by the used of figures in the paper (Andreatta, 2009). This will prompt the desire to have the ability to discuss and evaluate the data presented by the author in the tables and figures. However, before engaging this task, the reader has to be aware of what the author is measuring. The reader has also to establish how the data contributes to the author’s conclusion (Subramanyam, 2013).

From an analysis of the data and the methods used, one should establish whether the data generated by the author is believable or not. Accordingly, the data should be consistent with the methods used (Subramanyam, 2013). One should also assess the conclusion of the paper and establish whether it is in line with the results. The reader has also to draw from inferences. This is because; not all the information contained in the paper is stated explicitly (Andreatta, 2009). Therefore, the reader has to rely on laboratory experience, world experience, and prior knowledge to establish the believability of the data. One might have to go through the paper several times to understand why it is so detailed (American Society of Plant Biologists, 2013).

When going through a scientific paper, to demonstrate adequate reading skills, one should take notes. This enhances the ability to recall and boosts the level of comprehension. On may think that they will be able to recall all that they read (Subramanyam, 2013). Conversely, they may not be able to remember the details. This is why noting down is important to boost the retaining of the information. Readers should also develop the art of keeping templates. They should keep a summary of scientific papers for knowledge building and comparison purposes.

Students and researchers should continuously analyze scientific papers. This is because; even though scientific papers are peer-reviewed or published in journals, it does not mean that they hold the final truth. Science is a self-correcting field. Therefore, assessing the scientific papers provides a respectful approach for evaluating the scientific literature. Some information can mislead a whole field and have disastrous consequences. Therefore, a constant review of the information, research, and papers published in the field can correct flaws. When reading scientific papers, it is crucial to start with the introduction. The reader should read all the other sections and determine whether they are in line with the research question. The reader should also assess the methods used and the data generated. Subsequently, the reader should evaluate whether the data is believable.

References

American Society of Plant Biologists. (2013). How to Read a Scientific Paper. American Society of Plant Biologists , https://journalaccess.aspb.org/ReadaSciPaper/How%20to%20Read%20a%20Scientific%20Paper%20M%20Williams%20Mar%202013.pdf.

Andreatta, B. (2009). Navigating the Research University: A guide for first­year students. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Subramanyam, R. (2013). Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. , 17 (1), 65-70.