JudoJosh
Pro Virili Parte
In most scientific journals, scientific papers are divided into several sections. Each of these sections serves a specific purpose. Those sections are: Citation, Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References. This standardized format allows the reader to quickly access specific information making it easier to read the paper efficiently and critically. For instance, the Materials & Methods section, which describes what happened in the study, typically comes before the Results the section, which gives you the data collected. By having the sections follow a logical order like this, makes it convenient for the reader to read the paper more efficiently. The formatting of the paper also allows for the paper to be read more critically. For example, by separating the paper into sections, the reader can independently asses all of the aspects of the study. The separation of the Results and Discussion sections is an example of this. In the Results section, you are limited strictly to just the data collected from the study not the interruption, which is reserved for the Discussion section. This gives the reader the ability to analyze the data collected from the study free of the authors’ interpretation of the data.
The first part of the paper is the citation. This is given to the reader at the top of the research paper. It includes: the title, all authors and their institutional affiliations, journal publishing the paper and the volume, pages and publication date of the paper.
Each of these can be useful for the reader. For example, journals can be published by scientific societies, such as the American Physiological Society or by commercial publishers. While this doesn't necessarily discredit a study since both can publish reliable journals, it is helpful for the reader to know what organization is behind the journal. The title also provides information to the reader. It sometime provides the species studied, the experimental approach and a brief indication of the results. This can help readers comb through studies. For example, let’s say the reader only wants human studies. The reader can quickly determine if the study is relevant to his search simply by looking at the title. Next is the authors. The sequence the authors are listed is significant. The first author listed is the one who did most of the work and the last author is the principal investigator, sometimes called the senior author. The authors between these two are individuals who contributed to the paper. Along with the authors’ names, their institutional affiliations are also listed. This can tell the reader about the authors’ perspectives.
Papers usually begin with a short summary called the Abstract. This typically provides a brief background to the study along with the purpose of the study, the experimental approach used, the primary findings of the study and how those findings may be relevant. Abstracts are usually limited to around 250 words or so. The Abstract is the most available portion of the study and because of this it is often the only part read by people. It is important to know, an abstract is not a substitute for reading the full paper. The abstract does not contain the amount of detail required to make an informed judgment on it.
The next section is the Introduction. This section presents the background information as to why the study is being done and how the possible findings could be relevant. Typically it is written in the following order: description of the problem, prior work done in the field, where the controversy exist, and how their work would extend our understanding of the problem and possibly alleviate some of the controversy. This where you will find the purpose as to why the study is being done and also learn about previous relevant studies that have been done in the field. This section can be sometimes hard to understand for the laymen. Scientist tend to write in universally accepted terms. This helps to eliminate confusion over what the author is stating. To better understand the technical terminology used, you may need to consult additional sources such as academic textbooks or review articles. This section also tends to follow a format. First, the author will describe the current accepted theories in the field. Typically they will emphasize a particular aspect of said theory that will serve as an intro to why their work is being done.
The following section is Material & Methods. The purpose of this section is to tell the reader what materials were used and the methods by which the study was carried out. This section is supposed to be written in such detail that another research would be able to replicate the work the authors did in the paper. Sadly, this is often not the case. However, this is the section that is often most important for the reader. By reviewing the experimental details and the experimental design the reader is able to assess the effectiveness of the study’s methods. Like the introduction section, the Materials & Methods section is usually filled with technical terminology along with methodological detail which also makes it more difficult for the layman to read. There are many different study designs that the paper can be based on. Each of which, represent a certain level of what the reader is able to take away from the paper.
After the Material & Methods, the next section is the Results. Together these sections make up the core of the paper. Here, in the results section, is where the author will typically describe the experiments and the reasons why they were done. The data collected from the study is analyzed, sorted, synthesized and presented here. Having an understanding of a few basic statistical principles goes a long way in this section. A good way to analyze this section is to first examine the tables and graphs looking for major trends and then read the text of the section. Another way is to read the text of the result section first, taking note of the statements the authors make and then check to see if the data presented in the tables and graphs support those statements. Basically, you want to take the findings of the study and compare them against what the authors say.
Then comes the discussion section. The Materials & Methods and Results sections mostly report factual information along with a superficial interpretation, this section provides a more in-depth interpretation. The goal of this section is to let the reader know what their findings mean and highlight any key conclusions that were made. Often times the authors will attempt to relate the findings of their paper to other findings within the field. This is usually done by showing how the work in the present study further contributes to or corrects the errors of the work of others. The authors’ opinion may be sprinkled throughout this section, so the objective of the reader is to sort through this information and come to their own conclusions about the study. To do this you will often have to refer back to the Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results and sometimes other outside research papers. This section is also used to address potential criticisms of the paper. Here you will find any limitations to the authors’ interpretations.
Next there is a short Acknowledgements section. The authors use this section to thank individuals or intuitions that have contributed to the paper. Research funding sources can also be found here. For example, if a supplement company is providing the materials or footing some of the bill, it would be disclosed here. Also, any potential conflicts of interest will be listed in this section. So if a researcher is conducting a study finding benefits of a vegan diet and also owns a business that sells vegan meal plans, it would be disclosed in this section. It may be helpful for the reader to know if one of the authors have a direct financial stake in the outcome of the study.
Lastly there is the References section. This section is pretty self-explanatory. It contains a list of all the articles that are cited in the paper. This list can be very helpful for the reader by showing them where else they can find further reading on a topic.
In most journals, the above format is followed but on occasion a papers format will differ.
The first part of the paper is the citation. This is given to the reader at the top of the research paper. It includes: the title, all authors and their institutional affiliations, journal publishing the paper and the volume, pages and publication date of the paper.
Invalid Link Removed
Each of these can be useful for the reader. For example, journals can be published by scientific societies, such as the American Physiological Society or by commercial publishers. While this doesn't necessarily discredit a study since both can publish reliable journals, it is helpful for the reader to know what organization is behind the journal. The title also provides information to the reader. It sometime provides the species studied, the experimental approach and a brief indication of the results. This can help readers comb through studies. For example, let’s say the reader only wants human studies. The reader can quickly determine if the study is relevant to his search simply by looking at the title. Next is the authors. The sequence the authors are listed is significant. The first author listed is the one who did most of the work and the last author is the principal investigator, sometimes called the senior author. The authors between these two are individuals who contributed to the paper. Along with the authors’ names, their institutional affiliations are also listed. This can tell the reader about the authors’ perspectives.
Papers usually begin with a short summary called the Abstract. This typically provides a brief background to the study along with the purpose of the study, the experimental approach used, the primary findings of the study and how those findings may be relevant. Abstracts are usually limited to around 250 words or so. The Abstract is the most available portion of the study and because of this it is often the only part read by people. It is important to know, an abstract is not a substitute for reading the full paper. The abstract does not contain the amount of detail required to make an informed judgment on it.
The next section is the Introduction. This section presents the background information as to why the study is being done and how the possible findings could be relevant. Typically it is written in the following order: description of the problem, prior work done in the field, where the controversy exist, and how their work would extend our understanding of the problem and possibly alleviate some of the controversy. This where you will find the purpose as to why the study is being done and also learn about previous relevant studies that have been done in the field. This section can be sometimes hard to understand for the laymen. Scientist tend to write in universally accepted terms. This helps to eliminate confusion over what the author is stating. To better understand the technical terminology used, you may need to consult additional sources such as academic textbooks or review articles. This section also tends to follow a format. First, the author will describe the current accepted theories in the field. Typically they will emphasize a particular aspect of said theory that will serve as an intro to why their work is being done.
The following section is Material & Methods. The purpose of this section is to tell the reader what materials were used and the methods by which the study was carried out. This section is supposed to be written in such detail that another research would be able to replicate the work the authors did in the paper. Sadly, this is often not the case. However, this is the section that is often most important for the reader. By reviewing the experimental details and the experimental design the reader is able to assess the effectiveness of the study’s methods. Like the introduction section, the Materials & Methods section is usually filled with technical terminology along with methodological detail which also makes it more difficult for the layman to read. There are many different study designs that the paper can be based on. Each of which, represent a certain level of what the reader is able to take away from the paper.
After the Material & Methods, the next section is the Results. Together these sections make up the core of the paper. Here, in the results section, is where the author will typically describe the experiments and the reasons why they were done. The data collected from the study is analyzed, sorted, synthesized and presented here. Having an understanding of a few basic statistical principles goes a long way in this section. A good way to analyze this section is to first examine the tables and graphs looking for major trends and then read the text of the section. Another way is to read the text of the result section first, taking note of the statements the authors make and then check to see if the data presented in the tables and graphs support those statements. Basically, you want to take the findings of the study and compare them against what the authors say.
Then comes the discussion section. The Materials & Methods and Results sections mostly report factual information along with a superficial interpretation, this section provides a more in-depth interpretation. The goal of this section is to let the reader know what their findings mean and highlight any key conclusions that were made. Often times the authors will attempt to relate the findings of their paper to other findings within the field. This is usually done by showing how the work in the present study further contributes to or corrects the errors of the work of others. The authors’ opinion may be sprinkled throughout this section, so the objective of the reader is to sort through this information and come to their own conclusions about the study. To do this you will often have to refer back to the Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results and sometimes other outside research papers. This section is also used to address potential criticisms of the paper. Here you will find any limitations to the authors’ interpretations.
Next there is a short Acknowledgements section. The authors use this section to thank individuals or intuitions that have contributed to the paper. Research funding sources can also be found here. For example, if a supplement company is providing the materials or footing some of the bill, it would be disclosed here. Also, any potential conflicts of interest will be listed in this section. So if a researcher is conducting a study finding benefits of a vegan diet and also owns a business that sells vegan meal plans, it would be disclosed in this section. It may be helpful for the reader to know if one of the authors have a direct financial stake in the outcome of the study.
Lastly there is the References section. This section is pretty self-explanatory. It contains a list of all the articles that are cited in the paper. This list can be very helpful for the reader by showing them where else they can find further reading on a topic.
In most journals, the above format is followed but on occasion a papers format will differ.
