Understanding a scientific article can be a bit challenging, but with the right approach, it can be manageable. Here is a guide to help you understand the different sections of a scientific article and the statistical tests used to determine the significance of the results.
Abstract: The abstract is a brief summary of the article, usually around 250 words. It provides a general overview of the research, including the main findings and conclusions. When I am in a rush and need a quick idea of what the research was about I quickly skim the abstract section of the paper.
Introduction: The introduction provides background information on the research topic and explains the research question or hypothesis being tested. This section is excellent for when you understand very little about the topic or field of studies.
Materials and Methods: The materials and methods section describes the procedures used in the study, including the methods used to collect data and the equipment and materials used. This is my favorite section because you can use it to spot problems with how an experiment was constructed or performed. It is in this section that the flaws become apparent, did they include the appropriate controls, did the scientists have a biased group of test subjects?
Results: The results section presents the findings of the study, including any statistical analyses. This section should include tables, figures, and graphs to present the data.
Discussion: The discussion section interprets the results and relates them to previous research. The researchers will describe the implications of their findings and suggest areas for future research.
Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the main findings of the study and states the main conclusions.
Citations: Scientific articles include citations to other research that the authors used to support their arguments or findings. These can be found in the text of the article and in a reference list at the end of the article.
Statistical tests are used to determine whether the results of a study are statistically significant, meaning that they are unlikely to have occurred by chance. Common statistical tests used in scientific research include t-tests, ANOVA, and chi-squared tests. These tests are used to compare data from different groups or to test hypotheses about the relationship between variables. The p-value is the probability that the results of the study occurred by chance. A p-value of less than 0.05 is generally considered statistically significant.
In summary, a scientific article is divided into several sections that provide a comprehensive understanding of the research. By reading the abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion and citations, you will have a clear picture of the research. With the help of statistical tests, you will be able to understand the significance of the results.
Quality scientific research should always be peer reviewed, that means it has been evaluated and possibly reproduced by experts in that particular field. This allows the publisher or journal that the study appears in to verify that the research is not full of errors or simply spreading lies. This peer review process can be long and arduous, when errors are discovered the journals bring it to the attention of the scientist who submitted the paper. The submitting scientist will then fix their errors and resubmit their work for approval.
Here are some places you can find peer reviewed scientific literature;
PubMed: PubMed is a free database that provides access to millions of scientific articles in the biomedical and life sciences. It is maintained by the National Library of Medicine and is the primary source for articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine.
ScienceDirect: ScienceDirect is a database of scientific articles and books from Elsevier, one of the largest publishers of scientific research. It covers a wide range of subjects, including the physical and natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences.
Web of Science: Web of Science is a database of scholarly research articles, conference proceedings, and other scientific literature. It is maintained by Clarivate Analytics and is widely used by researchers to track citations and measure the impact of their work.
JSTOR: JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. It covers a wide range of subjects and includes a large collection of peer-reviewed scientific research articles.
SpringerLink: SpringerLink is a database of scientific articles and books from Springer, one of the largest publishers of scientific research. It covers a wide range of subjects, including the physical and natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences.
PLOS (Public Librarhttps://plos.org/y of Science): PLOS is a nonprofit publisher that provides open access to peer-reviewed scientific research articles. It covers a wide range of subjects and aims to make scientific research accessible to a wider audience.
These are some of the most well-known and widely used sources for peer-reviewed scientific research. However, there are many other sources available depending on the field of research and the type of publication you are looking for.
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