Decoding Scientific and Medical Literature: A Guide to Reading, Interpreting, and Summarising Research Papers

Decoding Scientific and Medical Literature: A Guide to Reading, Interpreting, and Summarising Research Papers

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to read, interpret, and summarise scientific and medical research papers effectively.

What do you already know about reading and understanding scientific papers?

Why Read Scientific Papers?

Understand the role of research papers in advancing knowledge and guiding evidence-based practice in science and medicine.

Structure of a Research Paper

Familiarise with the standard sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Reading Strategies

Learn techniques for skimming, scanning, and critical reading to efficiently digest research papers.

Interpreting Data

Understand how to interpret figures, tables, and statistical results presented in research papers.

Summarising Research

Learn to concisely summarise key findings and implications of research papers.

Common Pitfalls

Identify common mistakes in reading and interpreting research, such as confirmation bias and overgeneralisation.

Practical Exercise

Engage in an exercise to read, interpret, and summarise a given research paper excerpt.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.