Scientific journal articles are often dense and hard for the young scientist (and others!) to understand. Try this tip: don't read the article straight through! Instead practice the advice advocated in Essential Skills for Science and Technology, Booth Library call number Q181 .E73 2008.
Ask yourself some questions prior to reading, such as:
- Why am I reading this?
- What specific information am I looking for?
- How thoroughly do I need to understand this information?
Read in this order:
1. Title and Author -- Is the article relevant to your research needs? If
unclear, read abstract.
2. Abstract -- If abstract (article summary) seems fruitful to your needs,
continue to summary. Otherwise, look for better articles.
3. Summary/Conclusion -- What are the main findings and implications
of this study? If useful to you, continue to the introduction, methods,
results, and discussion.
4. Introduction -- What question(s) does this study address?
5. Materials and Methods -- How was the study conducted?
6. Results -- What did the study find? Spend time trying to interpret the
figures and graphs.
7. Discussion -- What have the authors concluded from their study? Did
the study answer the initial questions posed?
Write down key words and phrases. Look up unfamiliar terms.
