Understanding Scientific Articles: Tips for Efficient Reading

Understanding scientific articles empowers non-experts to access and evaluate research findings effectively using structured reading techniques and reliable sources.

### How to Efficiently Read and Understand Scientific Articles
* 🔍 Scientific articles are publications where experts share the **results of their research** in various fields.
* 📰 Unfortunately, they are not designed for a general audience and often contain **technical language that can be challenging to comprehend**.
* 🔗 It's crucial to choose **reliable sources**, such as those from **reputable institutions** and **peer-reviewed publications**.
* 🔓 If you encounter articles behind paywalls, you can try using **Sci-hub** to access them.
* 📑 To read articles efficiently, it's recommended to understand the structure of the parts: **Title, Authors, Keywords, Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Conclusions, and References**.
* 📚 When reading an article, the suggested approach is to do two passes: a **quick scan to determine relevance** and a **detailed reading if necessary**.
* 🤔 To evaluate the reliability and generalizability of the results, consider factors such as **sample size**, **representativeness**, **blinding**, and the presence of a **control group**.
* 📝 Throughout the reading, keep a notebook to jot down **interesting data or questions for further investigation**, and since many scientific studies are published in English, it's beneficial to be **familiar with the language**.

You don't need to be a genius or a scientific authority to access directly the new and exciting knowledge produced by science people. At CuriosaMente, to make our videos, we like to consult the richest and most reliable sources: research articles, known in English as papers. And you can too! How to understand them in an easy and effective way? Let's learn today... How to read a scientific article? In a scientific article, the results of research conducted by experts in various disciplines are published. The latest discovery about black holes! The most recent answer to fundamental questions about human behavior! The most innovative hypothesis about the evolution of living beings! Unfortunately, scientific articles are not made to be read by a wide audience, but for science people to communicate with each other. That's why they usually have technical language and a way of presenting things that can confuse and alienate the non-specialized public. So, to understand the discoveries, we usually depend on science journalists and outreach people. Don't depend on them anymore! The first thing is to choose your sources well: you know there are many false things posted on the Internet. Choose those that come from institutions with teams of specialists that support their prestige in years of research and that also publish their studies in peer-reviewed publications: this means that not just anyone presents there.

His ideas: before publishing something, other specialists evaluate the quality and reliability of the research and decide if it is truthful enough to make it available to the rest of the scientific community. In the description, we provide you with an extensive list of scientific publications that we consider reliable. Oh, one detail! Some of these publications do not have all their articles available to the general public. We believe that knowledge should be for everyone, especially if the research was conducted with public funding. If you come across an article behind a paywall, you can try to unlock it using the Sci-hub website, created by the neuroscientist, programmer, and activist Alexandra Elbakyan, a sort of Robin Hood of science. Well, now that you have your article, to read it efficiently, it is advisable to know the parts of its structure. Title, which is usually very descriptive; Authors, names that you can search to verify the background of those who conducted the research. Keywords that help facilitate the search and identification of the article; Abstract that condenses the most relevant information; Introduction, which describes the observed problem, the formulated question, any possible hypotheses, and justifies the study. Methodology that describes the experiment conducted or the procedures followed to obtain an answer to the question; Results obtained or findings made, as well as a discussion of their possible interpretation; Conclusions, expressing the level of certainty in the results obtained and pointing towards new paths or suggesting new studies.

To delve into the research; and lastly, References that refer to other studies consulted to develop the present. We recommend not reading each of these parts in order: it can be cumbersome and, if it turns out that the article is not relevant to what we are looking for, it can make us waste a lot of time. That's why we suggest reading in two passes. How does it work? The first pass is a general review that will allow us to know if the article contains the information we need. It shouldn't take more than 3 to 5 minutes. If the article provides us with what we need, we will continue with the second pass, but if at any time we realize that it is not relevant to our purpose, we can stop reading and look for other sources. In this first pass, we read the title and keywords to identify if the topic that interests us is touched on from the discipline we need. Next, we will read the abstract. Here we must know what question the researchers asked and what results they obtained. In the example on the screen, the title does not make the finding very evident, but in the abstract, we can see that it was discovered that climate change has caused many bird species to reduce their size. Pro tip: the most important part of the abstract is usually in the last sentences of the paragraph. Finally, if the abstract captures our interest, we can go directly to the conclusions to complete the fundamental information that the article communicates.

In this stage, we will start by reviewing the graphs, tables, and figures in the results and findings. Reading the introduction will help us understand the importance of the research and the motivation for carrying it out, as well as other previous studies that inform this particular study. Lastly, if we have doubts about the procedures followed, the size of the analyzed sample, the location where it was conducted, etc., let's consult the methodological section. To get an idea of how reliable or generalizable the results are, let's ask ourselves: Was the study conducted with a few subjects or with a large population? Is the sample representative? Was it randomly selected, or is there any bias in its selection? If an experiment was conducted, was it double-blind? Is there a control group? Additionally, let's check the references only if we wish to delve deeper into other related studies.
Before finishing, two very useful recommendations:
The first is that, throughout your review of the article, have your notebook of notes, cards, or a document at hand where you can record the data that you found interesting or questions that have arisen for further investigation.
The other recommendation is that a significant part of the scientific studies conducted worldwide are published in English, so it is very useful to familiarize yourself with that language. Hopefully, this video will be very helpful to you!
Now you will have more elements to form an informed opinion and evaluate if a news piece misinterpreted or exaggerated the results.

Or to create your own outreach project, or simply to support your arguments in an online discussion. But use this power for good! Interestingly, we invite you to support us through Patreon at patreon.com/curiosamente or become a channel member with the join button. A small monthly contribution helps us continue producing content that may be valuable to you and others, and also gives you the opportunity to participate in deciding which questions you would like us to answer in the new videos.

¿Cómo leer un artículo científico?

¡Por el placer de aprender! A despertar el sentido de la maravilla que sólo el conocimiento puede dar.
¡Nuevos videos cada domingo a las 8:00 de la mañana!
Un proyecto de comunicación pública del conocimiento de Estudio Haini, dirigido por Tonatiuh Moreno

Nadie lo sabe todo y todos sabemos algo.


CuriosaMente

Navigating Scientific Articles for the General Reader

Scientific articles present the latest research findings but are often not reader-friendly for the general public, relying on technical language and complex presentation.

It's important to choose reliable sources, such as peer-reviewed publications, and consider using the Sci-hub website for articles behind paywalls.

To efficiently read a scientific article, focus on understanding the structure, including the title, authors, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusions.

Reading research articles in two passes can save time and effort.

The first pass involves reviewing the title, keywords, and abstract in 3 to 5 minutes to determine relevance.

If the article is relevant, the second pass includes reading the conclusions to gather fundamental information.

This technique helps in quickly identifying the information needed and avoiding wasting time on irrelevant articles.

Reviewing Research Findings: A Step-By-Step Guide

Reviewing research findings involves analyzing graphs, tables, and figures in the results, understanding the research's importance, motivation, and previous studies, and consulting the methodological section for clarity on procedures and sample size.

It's crucial to assess the representativeness and reliability of the study's results, considering factors like the size and representativeness of the sample, the random selection process, and the presence of bias or control groups.

Additionally, keeping a record of interesting data and questions for further investigation is recommended, along with familiarizing oneself with the English language for accessing a significant portion of scientific studies.

Supporting Curiosamente through Patreon and Channel Membership

You can support Curiosamente through Patreon or by becoming a channel member.

Your contribution will help in producing valuable content and give you a voice in deciding the topics for new videos.

Joining with a small monthly donation also gives you the power to use knowledge for good.