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Tips on Reading a Scientific Article
Click the words in bold to learn more.
Instead of trying to read a scientific article all at once, it is better to take a step-by-step approach.
- Read the abstract
It is a brief summary of the whole article and should give you a good overview of the paper. Sometimes the introduction to a science article uses “normal language” to describe the paper. If the content of the paper does not seem to meet your expectations and answer your questions, choose another article.
- Skim the article
Look at the section headings, and read the figure and table captions.
- Locate
Write down the questions you have. See if the author answers your questions later in the article or ask your instructor for help. Remember to use a general or science dictionary to look up any words that you do not understand. Also, be sure to gather additional keywords for further searching.
