How to read a scientific or research paper

Many times in our college assignments or in project reports or detailed studies work involves reading research papers. Because scientific articles are different from other texts, like novels, storybooks, or newspaper stories, they should be read and understood differently. Here are some tips to be able to read and understand them.

Scanning

First get the big picture by reading the title, keywords, and abstract carefully; this will tell you the major findings and why they matter.

Quickly scan the article without taking notes; focus on headings and subheadings.

Note the publishing date; for many areas, current research is more relevant.

Note any terms and parts you don't understand for further reading.

Go-over

Read the article again, asking yourself questions such as:

    What problem is the study trying to solve?

    Are the findings well supported by evidence?

    Are the findings unique and supported by other work in the field?

    What was the sample size? Is It representative of the larger population?

    Is the study repeatable?

    What factor s might affect the results?

     If you are unfamiliar with the key concept, look for them in the literature.

Interpret

Examine the graphs and tables carefully.

Try to interpret data first before looking at captions.

When reading the discussion and results, look for key issues, and new findings.

Make sure you have distinguished the main points. If not, go over the text again.

Summarize

Take notes; it Improves reading comprehension and helps you remember key points.

If you have a printed version, highlight key points, and write on the article. If it's on-screen, make use of markers and comments.

For the basic understanding of research papers consist of the following headings -

Tittle 

A summary of the study and findings, written by the author.

Introduction

A statement of what is currently known about the study subject that articulates the question being investigated. It cites other scholarly works, lays the foundations for the study, and sometimes states a hypothesis to be tested.

Results 

A description of the research conducted and the results obtained. 

Results are presented as tables, large datasets, and figures, which can include graphs, videos, diagrams, and photographs.

Some papers include additional supporting data as a supplement.

Discussion

Analysis and interpretation of the data presented that integrates the new information with prior findings, state the implications of the work, and sometimes generates new hypotheses to be tested.

Methods

A description of how the studies were conducted, with sufficient detail so that others can repeat them exactly.

References

The list of the articles cited in the paper that provide information on the research topic and the methods used.

Try to read a research paper from the topics which you are interested in and self-check yourself whether you are getting it or not. You can get the research papers from scholar.google.com or for food technology-related research papers you can visit http://foodtechnologyinfo.com/ under the student corner. 

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