Introduction
Research papers and reports published in peer-reviewed journals are the main sources of information in modern science. They focus on data, experiments, and results of the performed studies. Understanding them requires basic background knowledge of the subject and being familiar with a scholarly article’s structure. This paper presents the instructions for reading a research paper and the parts that require attention for a better understanding.
Before the Reading
First of all, the reader needs to become familiar with the topic of the paper. Usually, that requires studying it for some time at an organized course, investigating the available materials, or discussing it with the knowledge field specialists. Second, the reader has to choose the primary research literature as a source. Third, the work authors and their institutions need to be legitimate in the selected field (Raff, 2017). Known scientists and reputable universities provide additional credit to the article.
It is crucial to understand the structure of the research paper. Typically, it contains the following sections: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and the reference page (Wordvice Editing Service, 2017). The abstract covers the main topic and outcomes, while the introduction provides a general overview of the situation regarding the studied object. Methods describe the conduction of the observation or an experiment. Results summarize the outcomes of the study, while the discussion section covers their implications. References are listed as sources for the scientific data and concepts used to describe and analyze the studied topic (Raff, 2017). Being familiar with the document structure allows one to understand its points and outcomes.
Reading a Research Article
Introduction and Summarizing the Background
The reader needs to start with the introduction, not the abstract. This way, they will receive an overview of the information available on the topic of the paper. Understanding the current situation, similar research results, and the importance of the study create the necessary background to later analyze and implement the outcomes of the particular study (Raff, 2017). Such a start also helps to recall any information that is already known to the reader.
The Big and Specific Questions
Most of the time, scientists do not work solely on a narrow-isolated problem. Usually, there is a big question that researchers try to answer by combining their knowledge and experimental data (Raff, 2017). For example, in the medical sphere, each treatment case is different, but a successful therapy or surgery may affect the whole field. Similar general connections exist in all the research articles, and the reader needs to identify the one for the particular paper from the introduction part. The research article’s specific question is usually presented through a hypothesis, an expected part of the scientific method, often presented in the form of an if/then statement (Bradford, 2017). The following parts of the article aim to support or contradict it using the evidence by answering the specific question.
The Approach and Methods
Next, the reader can look at the brief description of the authors’ intentions and what they are trying to achieve. In the Methods section, the documents describe the instruments and their usage to test the proposed hypothesis (Raff, 2017). This part may require technical knowledge and further research as it often includes the mathematical instruments and models for the data analysis. Understanding sample size, method accuracy, and deviation steps may help the reader establish the source’s validity.
Results, Discussion, and Criticism
After understanding the approach and methods, the reader should look at the results section to see if it answers the specific question posed at the beginning. The discussion part expands on the implications of the outcome and their meaning (Raff, 2017). At this point, it would be useful to read the abstract and see if it matches the rest of the paper. Finally, a beneficial habit for the reader is researching the available criticism and support of the article if they are available. Opinions of other specialists in the same field often have valuable input for the science paper (Babor et al., 2017). Further discussion with peers and specialists can help the readers understand the research article and its implementations better.
Conclusion
Reading of the scientific article is different from the entertaining one in the popular journal or periodic newspaper. Research papers follow a specific structural format, include methodology description, often with mathematical calculations, and require basic background knowledge of the subject for better comprehension. Analyzing essential parts of the scientific article and focusing on the critical details may help the reader understand its meaning and validity.
References
Babor, T., Stenius, K., & O’Reilly, J. (2017). Addiction Publishing and the Meaning of [Scientific] Life. In Babor T., Stenius K., O’Reilly J., Pates R., Miovský M., & Candon P. (Eds.), Publishing addiction science: A guide for the perplexed, (pp. 355-364). Ubiquity Press. Web.
Bradford, A. (2017). What is science? Live Science. Web.
Raff, J. (2017). How to read and understand a scientific paper: A step-by-step guide for non-scientists. HuffPost. Web.
Wordvice Editing Service. (2017). IMRD: The parts of a research paper [Video]. YouTube. Web.