Skip to Main Content

Science Research Basics: Reading Scholarly Articles

Primary and Secondary Sources

There are two types of scientific papers that can be classified into primary and secondary sources:

  1. Primary research articles- These contain the original data and conclusions of the researchers who were involved in the experiments. Details about how the experiments were completed are included.
  2. Secondary review articles- These give an overview of the scientific field or topic by summarizing the data and conclusions from many studies. These types of articles are a good starting place for a summary of what has been happening in a field.

Anatomy of a Primary Research Article

Video Reading Scholarly Articles

Sections of a Primary Research Article

Most scientific research articles are divided into distinct, easily recognizable sub-sections. Here are some of the subheadings to look for:

  1. Abstract- summarizes the content. For a primary research article, the abstract highlights the main question(s) the authors investigated, provides the key results of their experiments, and gives an overview of the authors' conclusions.
  2. Introduction-background information about the topic of the paper, and sets out the specific questions to be addressed by the authors. Throughout the introduction, there will be citations for previously published articles or reviews that discuss the same topic. 
  3. Methods and Materials (or Methodology)
  4. Diagrams- illustrate scientific findings and data. Types of diagrams include charts, graphs, tables, and figures.
  5. Results
  6. Discussion
  7. Conclusion
  8. References

How to read a scientific article

There are many different techniques to gain an understanding of a scientific journal article as a non-expert. To (seriously) read a scientific article, sometimes it is recommended that you try to read in this order:

1. Title- begin with the title

2. Abstract- read to see if the article is relevant and worth further review

3. Introduction- skim to see the background info

4. Diagrams- flip through the figures

5. Conclusion- determine the main points and summary about the goals

3.Discussion- for more info about the main points

4. Results- what 

5.Methods- how it was done