READING SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES – HINTS TO GO BETTER

Reading scientific articles may be a not very pleasant experience for students at graduate level. Such reading presents a different kind of language and demand a totally different approach to texts. But I’m sure you can go better with this kind of reading and maybe even enjoy it. Here are some hints to help you:

1) Be aware of what are your reasons to read

Every reading has a purpose. You may read to get information, for better understanding of a topic or just for fun. Another possible reason for reading is that your teacher has demanded so. Usually this is not a good reason because it does not create any relation between the text and you. So, if you really want to get the best out of your reading, you need to have a ‘closer look’ at the text. Try to put some simple questions, such as ‘what is the text about?’, ‘what are the author’s intentions with the text?’, ‘what does s/he want to prove?’, ‘what are his or her arguments and how strong are these arguments? In sum, try to create your own reasons to read.


2) Spot the kind of article you are reading

Articles are written for different aims. Some of them discuss the results of empirical research, that is, research in which data are analyzed. Others carry out a review of a number of studies, usually published in recent articles. Another group of articles focus on theoretical or conceptual discussions. There are articles that analyze the strong and weak points of a method or research procedure. Differences in this matter come out of the author’s intentions or characteristics of the area. The important is simply this: recognize the differences among academic articles.


3) Bear in mind that a scientific article has an expected sequence

In fact, different articles have different sequences, but most of them follow a very similar plan of text, that is, the steps in the presentation of information do not differ very much. Most articles start with an ‘abstract’ or summary of the main points in the text. A set of five or six (there may be exceptions) keywords make possible for the reader to know what are most important conceits. The next step is the introduction in which the author clearly explains what are the problems and questions (or hypotheses) which will be addressed. Generally, the next sections concentrate on theoretical and methodological issues. The former explains the conceptual approach to the study and/or gives an overview on what is available in the area – that is the ‘state of the art’ – ; the latter provides details on the methods, procedures and techniques applied to the study. This sequence is mostly appropriate for empirical researches but a not very different order is also found in other kinds of article. For example, review articles can draw singular and very original conclusions after discussing what is already published.


4) Focus on important points of the article

I don’t mean that some parts of a text are superfluous. I just want to emphasize that in academic reading there are some points essential for your comprehension of the article. These are the basis of the global meaning of the article. I refer to the problematization, methods, results and conclusions.
Problematization is probably the most important. Understand it and you have the base to understand the whole article. The method should also be matter of concern. It is only by understanding the method that you can really grasp how the author got to the results. Finally, it is very important to identify the results and to understand its meanings, which are often explained at the conclusion section.


5) Try some active reading

Specially if you are a novice to academic reading, you should try out some strategies to ensure a more active reading. This will help you concentrate, memorize key points and get used to the typical sequence of scientific article. You might:

• Make marginal notes – explain key points of the text in your own words
• Highlight important points of the text
• Write section summaries – this may be more productive than a general summary
• Draw schemes, tables and lists

I hope that with these hints you can manage to go through better reading, and maybe get to the point at which academic reading will be a pleasant and enriching experience. Don’t forget that reading scientific article is fundamental to your professional update and development and that this should not be restricted to your years at college. I would very much enjoy reading your comments to this article.