How to Read a Scientific Paper
A simple refresher guide
Hello! I hope you're doing well. Firstly, I'm thrilled to announce that our newsletter community has now grown to 10,000 members!
A big thank you to everyone for following me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and for subscribing here.
Now back to our topic:
Do you feel overwhelmed when reading scientific papers? In this email, I’m going to show you 5 steps to read, comprehend and utilize the findings from research papers.
This technique will help you navigate the dense jargon, data and grasp the core ideas and in scientific papers:
Step 1: Skim read
Start with a skim read to grasp the big picture in the title, abstract, and introduction. Check the publishing date to ensure relevance and make a note of unfamiliar terms for further research. Check whether the journal is peer-reviewed.
Step 2: Pose questions to yourself
Ask yourself crucial questions such as the sample size and whether it is representative of the larger population. Check the study's replicability, funding sources, and any limitations identified in the discussion section.
Step 3: Decode the author’s inquiry
Determine the question the authors aim to answer, assess if the findings are well-supported by evidence, consider their novelty, and check if they align with other research in the field.
Step 4: Interpret results
Interpret the results cautiously by examining the discussion for key issues and new findings and scrutinizing graphs and tables to ensure they make sense even without captions.
Step 5: Summarize
Summarize your thoughts and make notes to clarify your understanding, consider any questions for the authors, ponder the next steps, and discuss the paper with others.
That’s it! Don't let scientific papers intimidate you any longer. If you need further details on this topic, BMJ has created guidelines for different types of papers here.
Note: Talking about an article in a journal club or more informal environment forces active reading, participation and recall of the material.
Good luck on your research journey, and stay tuned for my future guides!
Regards, Asad
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Thanks for sharing these tips Asad. They came just at the right time!👍🏾
Thank you for sharing! I actually do feel overwhelmed when sitting face to face with scientific papers; they usually seem like a lot of information. I'll apply these techniques next time I encounter one of such papers. Congratulations, btw, on 10,000 community members! 👏🏼👏🏼