How to Read a Scientific Paper

Hi ocean lovers, and welcome to Ocean Simplified, your place for ocean science. Today I’ll be doing a brief overview on scientific papers. Feel free to refer back to this at any time. 

Scientific papers are typically divided into seven sections: 

1. Abstract 

2. Introduction 

3. Methods 

4. Results

5. Discussion 

6. Conclusion 

7. References 

Let’s look at each one on its own, beginning with the abstract: 

The Abstract: 

The abstract is basically a summary of the paper. Here, you’ll find the background information, findings, and relevance/purpose in one short paragraph. 

The Introduction: 

The introduction primes the reader. This section provides key background information and reasoning for the study. This is a hotspot for citing other scientific papers which can be found in the references section. 

The Methods: 

A highly overlooked but key section of a paper is the methods. Here, scientists are expected to communicate the methods of the study to the level of detail as if someone were to repeat the study. Sometimes this section can be overly lengthy. If you’re not a researching scientist you won't spend as much time going through the methods section. No matter what kind of reader you are, however, the methods are where the paper’s credibility lies. It’s important to glean the methods to ask whether or not the procedure of the study was valid. Probe into whether or not external factors were controlled. Question the statistical analysis. Never take scientific studies on face value. Stay skeptical but open-minded, reader. Most scientific papers are totally fine, but some have questionable methods scientifically and/or morally. 

The Results:

Here, the scientists will tell you the results of their study. You’ll find the figures which are just graphs, charts, tables, or images of the data in visual format. These can be confusing but the most helpful way to navigate them is to use the caption. The results are the heart of the paper, in combination with the discussion. 

The Discussion:

The discussion connects the results back to the introduction, background information, and purpose of the study. This section can sometimes feel like a repetition of the results, but in reality the discussion section is meant to explain the results. 

The Conclusion: 

Very similar to the abstract, the conclusion focuses one paragraph or so on the most important results of the study and may include a call to action for future research or change. 

The References: 

This is a list of all the other papers referenced by the main paper. If you’re interested in this topic or researching something similar, this is the best place to find more information. 

That’s it! We’re going to keep it super simple here. Questions? Drop them in the comments! Thanks for dropping in and I’ll see you soon!