Understanding Science Articles (Journals, Periodicals, Primary References)
How do you get the most out of primary references?
Reference Types Primary References - Published scientific papers of actual peer reviewed studies. In the form of journal articles, periodicals. (Ex. Nature, Science, Neurology) Secondary References - Summaries, or repackaging of published papers. Often in the form of magazine stories. (Ex. Discovery, National Geographic,The Scientist) Tertiary References - Reference materials. In the form of books, literature guides, library catalogs. ( Ex. Encyclopedias, textbooks) Primary References - Published scientific papers of actual peer reviewed studies. In the form of journal articles, periodicals. (Ex. Nature, Science, Neurology) Secondary References - Summaries, or repackaging of published papers. Often in the form of magazine stories. (Ex. Discovery, National Geographic,The Scientist) Tertiary References - Reference materials. In the form of books, literature guides, library catalogs. ( Ex. Encyclopedias, textbooks)
Primary Literature Sources in Science Not (necessarily) peer-reviewed: Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and Proceedings Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and ProceedingsPeer-reviewed: Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Not (necessarily) peer-reviewed: Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and Proceedings Laboratory Notebooks, Biosequence Data, Conference Papers and ProceedingsPeer-reviewed: Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles Dissertations and Theses, Technical Reports, Patents, Journal Articles
Importance of the Scientific Journals journals serve three major functions in the process of scientific communication: 1. Social - To establish and maintain intellectual property of creative work so recognized by peers. 2. Archival - To provide information that has been peer-reviewed for quality control. 3. Rapid Dissemination - To allow for rapid sharing and utilization of knowledge. journals serve three major functions in the process of scientific communication: 1. Social - To establish and maintain intellectual property of creative work so recognized by peers. 2. Archival - To provide information that has been peer-reviewed for quality control. 3. Rapid Dissemination - To allow for rapid sharing and utilization of knowledge.
Finding primary articles Search specific Databases - BIOSIS - biological research NCBI / PUBMED - biotech. & Nat. Library of Medicine MEDLINE - human health AGRICOLA - agricultural GeoRef - Geography SciFinder Scholar General searches - Be sure to evaluate results! Google Scholar, Google, Yahoo, About Search specific Databases - BIOSIS - biological research NCBI / PUBMED - biotech. & Nat. Library of Medicine MEDLINE - human health AGRICOLA - agricultural GeoRef - Geography SciFinder Scholar General searches - Be sure to evaluate results! Google Scholar, Google, Yahoo, About
Evaluating the quality of primary articles The following factors influence quality: Quality of parent journal Quality of parent journal University / Organization affiliation of authors University / Organization affiliation of authors Extent of peer review Extent of peer review Number and quality of internal references Number and quality of internal references Organization scheme Organization scheme Readability Readability The following factors influence quality: Quality of parent journal Quality of parent journal University / Organization affiliation of authors University / Organization affiliation of authors Extent of peer review Extent of peer review Number and quality of internal references Number and quality of internal references Organization scheme Organization scheme Readability Readability
Strategies for Reading Primary Articles A. Assess Quality B. Build Knowledge of Article (“Get the General Gist”) C. Process the Article (“Break it down”) A. Assess Quality B. Build Knowledge of Article (“Get the General Gist”) C. Process the Article (“Break it down”)
1. Skim parent journal, title, authors, affiliation of authors, organization and internal references to assess the overall quality of the article. A. Assess Quality
1. Read title & summarize - reword it if necessary so it makes sense to you. 2. Skim subtitles, tables and figures - see how they relate to the title to get a feel for the article. 3. a. Read abstract - Read for comprehension. Circle unknown words. Highlight or underline essential concepts. Go back and look up only unknown essential words, ignore non-essential unknowns. b. Summarize abstract - reword it if necessary into simpler terms. Keep this main overview in mind as you read the article. 1. Read title & summarize - reword it if necessary so it makes sense to you. 2. Skim subtitles, tables and figures - see how they relate to the title to get a feel for the article. 3. a. Read abstract - Read for comprehension. Circle unknown words. Highlight or underline essential concepts. Go back and look up only unknown essential words, ignore non-essential unknowns. b. Summarize abstract - reword it if necessary into simpler terms. Keep this main overview in mind as you read the article. B. Build Knowledge of Articles
1. Chunk the article - break it into smaller parts based on subtopic or paragraphs. a. Read Chunks - Same as 3a above. b. Summarize Chunks - Same as 3b above. 2. Relate pictures & subtitles to article material. 3. Review chunks, relate to abstract & title. 4. Identify any topic or information that is still unclear. Reread chunks and repeat C. as necessary to gain comprehension. 1. Chunk the article - break it into smaller parts based on subtopic or paragraphs. a. Read Chunks - Same as 3a above. b. Summarize Chunks - Same as 3b above. 2. Relate pictures & subtitles to article material. 3. Review chunks, relate to abstract & title. 4. Identify any topic or information that is still unclear. Reread chunks and repeat C. as necessary to gain comprehension. C. Process the Article ( “Break it down”)