Reading Scientific Literature

By the time a student arrives at their upper division classes, it is almost guaranteed they will be reading scientific literature in the class or lab. For some professors, papers are the foundation of the entire class. This is great because it introduces the student to historically groundbreaking concepts and experiments that set a foundation in the field. Alternatively, they are the latest research in a field–the most up to date information on a specific topic. Oftentimes, reading different papers can paint a whole story for the study area or they can contradict one another. 

Ultimately, when we engage with research papers we are reading a story. The basic outline of most papers includes the abstract, background, methods,  results, and discussion. The abstract is where the author(s) outline a short background of the paper and the general findings. Obviously, this is the section to grab the reader’s attention and convince them to read the paper. The background introduces a wide breadth of information on the topic; expect to see a lot of historical papers being referenced. I find this section to be incredibly valuable since it  gives me a foundation on which to build the specifics of the paper. Next, the methods section includes protocols, specifications, statistics, and calculations. Usually, it is a lot of technical information on how the results were achieved. The raw data is discussed in the results section, where the reader can conceptualize the main findings. The results are then discussed in greater depth in the discussion section. Larger connections to other relevant areas of study are also made in this section to tie the relevance and importance of the topic to greater application. 

There are two basic types of scientific literature: research articles and review articles. 

1. Research articles are specific to an experiment. There are three basic experiment types that may be outlined in the methods section of a paper.  

a. Lab experiments: where an experimental group is tested upon and compared to the control group.

b. Field experiments: where the setting is the natural environment of the organism of study. There will likely still be an experimental and control group.

c. Natural experiments: where there are no major manipulations and the data taken is mainly observation for the purpose of noting patterns. 

2. Review articles are composed of meta-analyses, or summaries of multiple papers. Papers written on a common topic will be compared and contrasted. The findings in multiple papers are connected to draw attention to trends in a field observed over time.  

I was intimidated when I first began to engage with scientific literature on a daily basis. The papers were dense, they took forever to read, and I never felt like I ever understood the paper fully. Do not let this discourage you. The more papers you read, the easier it gets to understand the information and make important notes to retain the information. Here are some tips I use when reading scientific literature: 

Set aside the time and a quiet space. The first time I had to sit down and digest an entire paper, it took me a couple of hours to read. This type of literature usually spans four to fifteen pages, so I find an environment where I can easily focus and glean the key information I want to learn from the paper.

Strategize. Read the sections in an order that makes sense to you. Again, these articles tell a story. I begin with reading the background, then I usually skip to the results or discussion. If necessary, I will review the method section if I am interested in the experimental set up. It may also be helpful to break up your reading across a few days and read different sections each day.

Annotate. Ask yourself the basic questions: who, what, where, when, how, and why. If you can answer who the focus of the paper is, what they manipulated or observed, where the study took place, when the paper was written, how they conducted the research, and why they were driven to ask certain questions, then you can begin to piece together a basic idea of the story the author(s) are sharing with the audience. It may also be helpful to either write or type a short summary of the main points. That way, you have a convenient reference for a later time when you need to recall the paper.

Visualize. Do not forget to spend time interpreting the graphs and figures; they usually outline a main finding from the paper. Read the keynote descriptions and connect the visual aid to where it is discussed in the paper. This is key to understanding the general trends for the data and adding context to the visual.

Converse and criticize. Research papers are dense; I find it difficult to glean the entire story from just a single read. So, not only do I try and read it twice through, but I also make an effort to have conversations with my classmates and lab members about the paper. I gain so much insight from discussing the paper with others because it clears away so much confusion I usually have after reading it on my own. Generate questions and get clarity on any aspect that seems confusing. 

With practice, reading scientific literature will become easier. The next time you find yourself reading a paper, apply some of these tips!