How to Read a Scientific Article

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In most of our CHS courses we want students to be able to recognize and use reports of findings from well-done scientific research. These reports most often are found as peer reviewed articles in scientific journals. In general, you would use these journal articles as the main basis of your literature review for term papers that you write. In addition, these articles are often the basis by which faculty teach their content areas.

You may find the following steps helpful in reading a scientific article.

1. Read the abstract and determine if: (a) the article attempts to answer a research question, and (b) the subject is relevant to your needs. If the answer to both questions is \"no,\" stop here and find another article.

2. Skim the article, spending slightly more time on the discussion and conclusions.

3. Now, go back to the beginning and carefully read the literature summary, the hypotheses, the methodology and the findings. Critique each of these in your mind as you read. Ask the following questions:
  Is the author's approach justified by the literature?
  Are the hypotheses reasonable?
  Are the procedures appropriate?
  Is the statistical analysis correctly applied?
  Are any sources of interaction or confounding variables overlooked?

4. Carefully read the discussion and conclusions. Ask:
  Did the author interpret the findings appropriately?   
  Is the interpretation free of bias?
  Does the author acknowledge any alternative interpretations?
  Can you think of plausible alternative interpretations?

5. Based on the above steps, decide whether the information in the article can be used for further research and/or for
practical applications.

6. Makes notes about the article for future reference now, while the material is still fresh in your mind.


NOTE: As you read the article make a list of any words whose definition you are not certain. Look up all of these words in a dictionary.

If you have any questions about reading a particular article, or about reading scientific articles in general, be sure to ask either your advisor or the instructor of your course. Either of these faculty members will be glad to sit down with you and assist you in understanding this process.