USU LibrariesHOW TO READ A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

READING SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

ANATOMY OF A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

BREAKING DOWN SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Before you delve into reading scientific articles its best if you understand the different sections of a scientific article and how you can use each section.

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Part A - Journal Title: The title of the journal can help you determine if this source is peer-reviewed. The journal title might be at the bottom of the page in some journals.

Part B - Article Title: The article title is a brief summary of the article's content. Is it relevant to your interests?

Part C - Authors: It's important to know where you are getting your information - do a google search on the authors to check their credentials. Sometimes their credentials will be listed below their names (seen above).

Part D - Abstract: This brief overview of the paper details the study and its results. This is helpful in determining if the article is relevant to you.

Part E - Introduction: This section explains the why of the study. What prompted the study? What prior research has been conducted? The introduction helps you understand the foundation of the study.

Part F - Methods: The methodology section is a detailed explanation of how the experiment was conducted. You should be able to replicate the study exactly based on their description. You can usually skim this section to get a basic understanding of the methods used.

Part G - Charts & Figures: Scientific articles often summarize results and methodologies using charts and figures which are great for a quick and easy glimpse into the study.

Part H - Results: This section shares the results from the study. It is particularly helpful if you need specific data for your own study. This section also includes the researcher's analyses - which help determine the significance of the study's findings.

Part I - Discussion: This section summarizes important findings (based on the results) and the author's discussion of its implications for the field. Do the conclusions match the results? How are the results useful to you?

Part J - Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the findings and often mentions next steps and what further research is needed. The conclusion is brief but it summarizes the entire article not just the findings.

Part K - References: A list of all sources cited in the article. You can use this list to find publications on similar topics