Scientific articles are organized into sections which are typically labeled. The sections include: an introduction, a literature review, one or more sections describing and analyzing the experiment or study, sections addressing the methods and results of the experiment, and a discussion of the research findings. Two or more sections may be combined in a single part of the text. The text will contain technical terms and abbreviations without definitions.
A scientific paper should not be read from beginning to end, but strategically. Read the abstract first. It is a concise summary of the entire article and a good tool to determine whether to read further. Read the conclusion next. This is where the authors discuss the results in detail and summarize how the study addressed their hypothesis. If you have determined the paper is relevant to your research, skim the paper by reading the first sentence of each paragraph and looking at pictures, charts, diagrams, tables.
As you read the entire article, keep your research question in mind and focus on the information relevant to your question. Read the article in the order listed below:
The abstract appears at the top of the article and provides a brief summary of the whole article. It contains a description of the problem and problem setting; an outline of the study, and a summary of the conclusions or findings of the study. Read the abstract first. It can help you determine whether to read the whole paper. An article's abstract will always be available to view for free.
The name of the academic or research institution the authors are affiliated with should be stated on the first page of the article, either near the authors' names, or lower on the page.
The conclusion gives more detail on the specific results that were found. This is where the authors summarize how the study addressed their hypothesis, how it contributes to the field, the strengths (large number of participants, clinically significant endpoints, etc.) and weaknesses (broad exclusion criteria, study did not meet power, etc.) of the study, and what further research needs to be carried out on the topic. Some papers combine the discussion and conclusion. Read after the abstract and authors' credentials and before the results and the methodology sections.
The Introduction of an article explains the topic being investigated. A "literature review," (which is a summary of research others have already performed on the topic) is usually included in the introduction, but might appear in its own section. The introduction should also provide the author's hypothesis and indicate why the study done, how the study is unique, or how it adds to the overall discussion. Read the introduction after the conclusion.
The Methodology section describes the procedures or methods that were used to carry out the research study. Types of methodology include case studies, scientific experiments, and surveys. Details should be provided for others to replicate the experiment. Read after the introduction.
This section provides an unbiased account of all the data that was collected during the research. The results are typically reported in statistical terms, and will include tables, charts, and graphs. The Discussion/Conclusion section will summarize the meaning of the data. Read after the Methods section.
The list of references, or works cited, provides publication information for all of the materials the authors used in the article.
The reference list is a good way to identify additional articles a the topic.
The citation shows the article title, authors, publication title, date, and article pages. It also includes a list of Subject headings which are controlled vocabulary terms the database uses to store and find information. Use the subject headings to search for relevant articles on the same topic.