How to read and critique a scientific research article : notes to guide students reading primary literature (with teaching tips for faculty members) / Yeong Foong May, National University of Singapore, Singapore
How to search for an article -- Anatomy of a typical scientific article -- A brief insight into how scientific articles get published in journals -- The introduction section: background information on the topic of research -- Points to look out for in the introduction -- More on the introduction section: hypothesis or question that the authors were investigating -- Issues to consider regarding the hypothesis or question -- The materials and methods section: reagents and techniques used in the study -- What is important in the materials and methods section? -- The results section: what were the important observations made? -- Research strategy versus individual experiments -- Critique of the results -- The discussion section: what were the main conclusion(s) made by the authors arising from the data? -- Critique of the conclusions -- What are your views on the article? -- Writing activities related to critiquing an article
Summary
A good grasp of reading and analytical skills is needed for students to understand how their research project contributes to the field that they are working in. Such skills are being taught at UK and USA universities. In Asia, this approach in teaching has not yet been as widespread, although similar ideas are beginning to be used in education. Written as a quick guide for undergraduate students and faculty members dealing with scientific research articles as part of a module or research project, this book will be useful, especially in Asia, for students and faculty members as the universities look to incorporating the use of scientific research articles in their undergraduate teaching