1. ADV RESEARCH DESIGN AND ANALYSIS LAB Reading Scientific Articles

2. 1 st Review Paper Assignment Goals:  Understand key methods and findings of the a scientific article  Journal article  Understand empirical and theoretical context in which the study/article is rooted  Review article  Evaluate accuracy and potency of dissemination through news media  News release

3. Journal Article Summarize the original article  What were the question(s) and the predictions for the study?  What was the main contribution of the study in relation to previous work?  What type of study was it? Sample characteristics? How were they selected/assigned to different conditions (if any)?  What were the equipments/questionnaires that were used?  Independent and dependent variables in the study?  What were the key findings and how were they analyzed?  What were the broader conclusions (e.g., were hypotheses supported? Did the findings support/contradict previous work?)

4. How to Read a Scientific Article “The worst way to assimilate a research paper is to read it word for word, title to literature cited, as if it were a textbook” (Collins, 2002). Have an idea of what you’re looking for when reading!

5. How to Read a Scientific Article Read the abstract carefully and make a mental note of their claims  Does the data support those claims and conclusions? Read the Introduction like it’s a persuasion essay  Is it clear how the current study fits into previous work and theory?  Is it convincing?  Do the authors clearly describe hypotheses, aims, and purposes?

6. How to Read a Scientific Article Evaluate the Methods and Results sections  Are the procedures set up in a way that accurately tests hypotheses?  Do their data analyses accurately assess their hypotheses?  Do the results accurately describe and represent the data presented? What analyses were used?  Do the tables and figures tie to the results that are stated? Scrutinize the Discussion Section  Why were hypotheses supported? Not supported?  Are the authors over-generalizing conclusions?  Do the authors bring up anything seemingly “out of the blue”?

7. News Release and Review Article News Release:  Key findings highlighted?  Other relevant information discussed? Review Article:  Key questions and topics addressed?  What were the theories or perspectives that exist in regards to this topic? How were they compared/contrasted?  Overall conclusion about the state of the field?

8. Comparisons How well does the news release summarize the original journal article?  Give strengths and weaknesses How well does the journal article relate to the current state of research (as summarized in the review article)

9. References in APA Style Don’t forget to cite all articles referred to in your paper using APA style  apastyle.org