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Written directly by scientists who conducted the research
Peer reviewed by other scientists
Published in scientific journals
Nature
Science
JAMA
PNAS
Reporting of scientific findings
Popular writings about science
Condensed reviews of scientific research
Types
Wikipedia
Scientific American
National Geographic
Popular books
Newspaper Articles
Image Credit: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X18300135
What is the article about?
What can I learn from reading the article?
Does the article address what you want to learn?
Is this article worth the time?
What questions did the authors propose to answer?
What are the main objectives of the research?
What is the hypothesis?
How well do you understand what is presented?
Should you do further research or define terms?
Methods and Results
What and how was the data collected?
Attempt to understand each paragraph.
Examine all figures and graphs, including legends and axis.
What does the data show?
Discussion and Conclusion
What do the authors conclude from their data?
What additional background is needed to understand article?
Further Analysis
Did the authors answer their proposed question ?
What were the authors conclusions?
Does the data presented support the conclusion?
Could other data be collected?
Did the article address what you wanted to learn?
Are there other articles that could enhance your understanding?
Lab 1: Assignment (10 points) - Due at start of Lab 2
Part 1
Locate primary scientific research article with organismal biology focus
Google Scholar
PubMed
UAH Library
Turn in printed copy of article with assignment
Taking notes or highlighting article is encouraged
Part 2
Read the selected article
Use questions from lab manual to guide reading
Write a summary of the article - One-page, single-spaced 12 pt font
Authors research questions
Experimental design
Authors conclusions
Personal conclusions and interpretation of data
Critiques and questions about experiment design
At least one question you have after reading the article