LibGuides: BIOL 3200: Writing for Biologists: Reading and Evaluating

How to Read a Scientific Paper

There are many different approaches to reading scientific papers. The list below provides a few examples. No matter which approach you choose, it's important to take good notes and remember that it is common to need to re-read a paper several times to full understand it.

Berkeley: Dissecting a scientific paper about evolutionary biology
This example, from UC Berkeley, breaks down a scientific journal article and explains the main components, while recommending which parts to read closely and which to skim through. Helpful for beginning researchers!
How to Read a Scientific Paper Infographic
By Natalia Rodriguez

Anatomy of a Research Article PDF
Knowing the anatomy of a research article can help you read strategically and become familiar with the layout of empirical studies.

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating a source (i.e., articles) requires looking at several different factors to determine if the source is both trustworthy and relevant to your research topic. When you're looking at a source, you should consider:

Authorship: Who is the author? Are they an expert in the research area?
Source: Where was the information published? Was the article published in a journal relevant to the topic? Is the website credible or a gossip website?
Relevance: Does the content of the source apply to your topic? Does the depth or detail of the information provided match what you are looking for?
Evidence: Does the source include evidence for its conclusions or arguments? Does it include citations?
Date: When was the source written? Are there more current sources you could use for your research?