How to Read and Understand a Scientific Paper

[ajasfolks2]

So much to learn in this lifetime . . .

thought this blog was interesting and perhaps helpful.

I've always had a struggle reading and digesting allergy & other med-related studies.

Feel free to add comment, pro or con, here!  Also any related links you may have.

How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists
Jennifer Raff —  August 25, 2013 —

http://violentmetaphors.com/2013/08/25/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper-2/

[CMdeux]

Makes a TON of excellent points.

My approach when encountering something entirely new to me is often more top-down than that.

It's the one that I recommend for parents, too-- because this way you don't waste a LOT of time chasing white rabbits down holes with things that aren't truly related to what you're after an understanding of.  I start with review articles, not individual papers, no matter how fine or exciting.


Review articles:


1.  Stick to BIG name journals, or those affiliated with major medical associations-- NEJM, JACI, BMJ, etc. are all good ones. 

2.  Pick recent review articles, or those upon which practice parameters (look to specialist medical association websites for some hints there) are based-- AAAAI and the like, in our case as food allergy parents, but you get the idea.

3.  Read backwards in time.  This gives you a sense of the timeline of research, and the HISTORY of particular researchers who are giants in the niche; it tells you who the big dogs are, and why.  I also start to star articles that are "seminal" (that is, they recur in the review articles again and again in background sections, or in discussions of particular points)-- Pumphrey is one of those papers in food allergy research.

4.  I second her advice to write down/look up EVERY word that you don't know the meaning of.  I'll add that in medical literature, a working knowledge of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes is a major investment, but one that is more than worthwhile.  Greek is also (less commonly) useful.