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If you’ve ever approached a scientific research paper hoping for some clarifying information and ended up blankly staring at the total page number, don’t despair!
Accessing primary literature, a format wherein the information comes straight from the researchers, can be daunting. Scientists with extensive knowledge of their field write these papers, and they assume the reader’s familiarity with the topic. However, for a passerby, that is usually not the case.
No matter! Just like anything worth doing, it’s not easy. But it can be. Having the skill and ability to root out new, objective information at its source and interpret it yourself is a critical one.
I have written research papers and read even more, often on a time crunch. The streamlined approach is as follows: get in and get out with just the important stuff.
Reliable sources
First on the docket is sourcing a scientific paper. If you’re searching for a specific article or already have one in mind, confirming its credibility is of the utmost importance.
General databases are JSTOR, Library of Congress, Google Books. They supply many academic works (as well as different types of media), whether it’s in the humanities, social sciences or, per the latter, out-of-print publications. Google Scholar, PubMed and ResearchGate are also well regarded while focusing more on scientific research; these also make it easy to sort and filter through the thousands of options. PubMed and ResearchGate are also well regarded while focusing more on scientific research; these also make it easy to sort and filter through the thousands of options.
However, reputable journals such as Nature, Science or Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, to name a few, are a safer bet, as they publish peer-reviewed papers; many eyes have checked those words for quality and validity.
Once you’ve laid your hands on a paper, you may also check the citation number, usually off to the side or at the bottom. This number represents how many times other papers have cited this one.
Anatomy of a primary research article
Second is to familiarize yourself with the format of a scientific paper. This will help you understand what type of information you’re being given and thus will help you interpret it accordingly. Ask yourself: what role does this sentence or paragraph play?
A paper typically follows: abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusions. Variations in this format are common for literature reviews — a review of the current state of research in a specific field or discovery, rather than a review of an experiment — are considered secondary sources which can omit sections or headings entirely. Watch out for this distinction!
Break down the abstract
This is your first point of contact with the research and the most important. In my eyes, it stands as a mini paper! The abstract should summarize background information, the purpose of the study, hypothesis, experimental design, major findings and analysis all in one neat paragraph.
Scan the introduction
The introduction serves as a debrief of the paper’s background and presents the research question. Like any high school essay’s introduction, this section narrows in scope as it concludes.
First, the writers broach the general research topic, then proffer their niche within that field and finally propose the purpose and design of the experiment.
Hack the results
The results section is both the most straightforward and meatiest section that flows in a similar order to materials and methods (which you can generally skip). Often, creating the figures for this section takes the longest, partly due to their function: imparting the key findings.
However, don’t forgo the legends — short blurbs of extra details underneath a figure or above a table. Pay attention to replicates, sample size (the more the better) and error bars (overlapping error bars are usually bad, as they indicate results might not be statistically significant).
Stop by the discussion and conclusions
The discussion section will always figure into a research paper, as the analysis of any results or trends can point to whether this supports or rejects the hypothesis.
However, the conclusions section isn’t wholly necessary and thus is the most often left out section, frequently subsumed by the discussion. It acts as the cherry on top, a space for the researchers to step back, view the big picture, and mention future directions. Do the trends in results line up with those you noticed?
Ready, Set, Action!
I always recommend annotating your article as you go. Highlight important background points, underline significant numbers and circle key words. Interaction with the text is key; trying to skim the whole thing just wastes time. Here’s an overview of how I read research papers:
- Take a few minutes to read the abstract.
- Skim the first and last sentences of each paragraph in the introduction.
- Then, the figures, tables and their legends are the only things you should spend time reading in the results sections.
- Drop by the discussion for the researchers’ analysis of the important results and trends.
- The conclusions should answer your question: “Why does this matter?”
- Try to write your own abstract! Summarize the important points in a few sentences. Then, summarize the article like you’re explaining it to a friend who really doesn’t care.
Online Resources
For more tips, visit Science in the Classroom, a webpage of annotated research articles with explanatory notes and videos.
Odessa Lyon (she/her) is a junior studying biology and English.
