1. Reading Research Papers
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Reading Research Papers
Siva S. Panda

2. Types of Scientific Papers
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Types of Scientific Papers
Review articles: give an overview of the scientific field or topic by summarizing the data and conclusions from many studies.
Primary research articles: contain the original data and conclusions of the researchers who were involved in the experiments and how the experiments were done.

3. Why Do We Need to Read Research Papers?
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4. Structure of Primary Research Papers
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A general rule of thumb for both reading and writing a scientific article is
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results & Discussion
Experimental Section
Conclusion
References
Most journals use a conventional IMRD structure

5. Title and authors
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Title is very descriptive (often states the main finding) and is not about being creative and “catchy”!
Order of authors is important. What can you tell from it?

6. Abstract Purpose or rational of study Methodology
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Purpose or rational of study
Methodology
Major findings of the study
Conclusion

7. Introduction
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Presents the background information for a fellow scientist (possibly in another field) to understand why the findings of this paper are significant.
Structure is usually:
Accepted state of knowledge in the field
Focus on a particular aspect of the field, often the set(s) of data that led directly to the work of this paper
Hypothesis being tested
Conclusions (scientists don’t really like surprise endings!)

8. Materials and Methods
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Should be detailed enough for another scientist to replicate the work (volumes, times, company material was purchased from etc.)
In reality, often compressed and you may need to look up another paper that is referenced for more detail.

9. Results & Discussion
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While the introduction poses the questions being asked, the results describes the outcome of the experiments that were done to answer the questions.
Results are often simply stated with interpretation of them coming later in the discussion.
Figures and tables allow the reader to see the outcomes of the experiments for themselves!
Read the text straight through, but as a figure is referred to, examine the figure.
Data is analyzed to show what the authors believe the data show. (You don’t have to agree with their interpretations!)
Findings are related to other findings in the field (contribute to knowledge, correct errors, etc.)– How is this work significant?

10. Before and during your reading, ask yourself these questions
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Who are these authors? What journal is this? Might I question the credibility of the work?
Have I taken the time to understand all the terminology?
Am I spending too much time reading the less important parts of this article?
Is there someone I can talk to about confusing parts of this article?
Did I identify the big question?
Did I summarize the background?
Did I identify the specific question?
Determine weather the presented results and discussion answer the specific question

11. After reading, ask yourself these questions
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What specific problem does this research address? Why is it important?
What are the specific findings? Am I able to summarize them in one or two sentences?
Are the findings supported by enough evidence?
Is there an alternative interpretation of the data that the author did not address?
How are the findings unique/new/unusual or supportive of other work in the field?
How do these results and data helpful in your research proposal?
Do the authors identify any weakness in their own study?
What do they purpose to do as a new step for their research?
What are some of the specific applications of the ideas presented here?
What are some further alternate experiments that you would propose which will answer your questions/plans?