Ten Simple Rules for Reading a Scientific Paper Notes

Introduction

• Reading scientific articles is crucial for scientists to identify new research questions and expand their understanding.
• Active reading is a learned skill requiring effort and a strategic approach.
• Presents 10 simple rules for active reading, based on experience as readers and mentors.

Rule 1: Pick your reading goal

• Your goal should influence your reading approach.
• Table 1 provides examples of intentions and how to prioritize article sections based on goals.

Rule 2: Understand the author’s goal

• Reader and writer both influence scientific understanding.
• Consider the author’s goal for sharing the project to interpret the data effectively.
• Understand the author(s), their scientific interests, the field they work in, and how the paper fits into their research.
• Different types of articles exist: methods, review, commentary, resources, and research articles.
• Knowing the article type helps guide the evaluation of the presented information.

Rule 3: Ask six questions

• Ask these questions about the complete work and each table, figure, or experiment:
  1. What do the author(s) want to know (motivation)?
  2. What did they do (approach/methods)?
  3. Why was it done that way (context within the field)?
  4. What do the results show (figures and data tables)?
  5. How did the author(s) interpret the results (interpretation/discussion)?
  6. What should be done next?
• Breaking down each section with these questions makes the effort more manageable.

Rule 4: Unpack each figure and table

• Data is the most important part of a scientific paper.
• Understand the presented data and how it was obtained.
• For each figure:
  • Understand each x- and y-axis.
  • Understand color scheme.
  • Understand statistical approach (if used).
  • Understand the plotting approach.
• For each table:
  • Identify experimental groups and variables.
  • Identify what is shown and how the data were collected.
• Refer back to the methods section for a full understanding.
• Articulate the “take home” message for each figure or panel.

Rule 5: Understand the formatting intentions

• The intent of each section within a research article guides interpretation.
• Results section: objective descriptions of the data.
• Other sections: author’s interpretation of the data.
• Refer to the journal’s website to understand formatting intentions.

Rule 6: Be critical

• Published papers are not absolute truths.
• Push back against the author’s interpretation to test the strength of their conclusions.
• Mistakes can occur due to limitations of methodology or generalizability.
• Consider potential biases of the study or author(s).
• Be alert to one’s own preceding perspective and biases.
• The phenomenon of a self-fulfilling prophecy is well studied in psychology literature.
  • A person may assume something to be true and their behavior aligns to make it true.

Rule 7: Be kind

• Give authors the benefit of the doubt.
• Avoid letting minor issues influence your evaluation.
• Share critiques kindly.
• Hearing a kindly phrased critique can be difficult but constructive.

Rule 8: Be ready to go the extra mile

• Look up terms, dig into supplemental materials, and read cited references.
• Some advisors recommend reading an article three times:
  • First time: read without pressure.
  • Second time: aim to understand the paper.
  • Third time: take notes.
• Engage with the paper by marking it up with questions, circles, highlights, and arrows.

Rule 9: Talk about it

• Talking about an article forces active reading and participation.
• Teaching is one of the best ways to learn.
• Discuss papers with peers, mentors, and colleagues in person or electronically.
• Use social media platforms to discuss papers with other scientists.

Rule 10: Build on it

• Integrate knowledge from multiple sources.
• Leverage published work to build a stronger structure.
• Build on the article by connecting it to ideas in other papers and within your own work.
• Implement techniques in your own research.
• Challenge or support the author’s hypothesis with a more extensive literature review.
• Integrate learned techniques and scientific conclusions into your research or perspective.

Summary

• Practice these rules to learn how to read a scientific article.
• This process will get easier and faster with experience.
• An hour in the library will save a week at the bench.
• Develop good reading and learning habits for yourself and others. Recommended resources [6] and [7].