Scientific articles are the heart of the science community. They are the main medium through which scientist interact. Scientific articles include; primary research articles and review articles. These papers have six main sections which include: abstract, introduction, materials, methods, results, discussion and finally references. These articles contain the most up-to-date information concerning a specific scientific field. The greatest puzzle about reading these articles is that one question unlocks as many questions as possible. This trend makes them self-discovery. Thus, I find myself reading the scientific articles quite often with the aim of designing my relevant research project.
Challenges While Reading Scientific Articles
Reading scientific articles may present itself as a simple issue to many, but to scholars and researchers like me, it is often a daunting exercise. While reading the articles, I am often faced with numerous challenges. First, I encounter vocabulary and concepts that are foreign to me. In order to limit this challenge, I often equip myself with the relevant scientific dictionary to check the unfamiliar words. Secondly, the reading process sometimes is iterative as I have to read, re-read and conceptualize whether the results and the discussions are true. This challenge usually makes me take quite a number of hours to search for the in-depth information on the topic of study. I normally highlight important issues concerning the article and make notes for further references as I read throughout the paper.
In conclusion, despite the challenges one often faces while reading this scientific articles, it is important to be vigilant to each part of the article. These parts play unique roles and are vital in helping one to research the project in a different way.
