附录20 老外写的How to Read a Scientific Research Paper.docVIP

How to Read a Scientific Research Paper-- a four-step guide for students Ann McNeal, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, Amherst MA 01002 Reading research papers (primary articles) is partly a matter of experience and skill, and partly learning the specific vocabulary of a field. First of all, DONT PANIC! If you approach it step by step, even an impossible-looking paper can be understood. 1. Skimming. Skim the paper quickly, noting basics like headings, figures and the like. This takes just a few minutes. Youre not trying to understand it yet, but just to get an overview. 2. Vocabulary. Go through the paper word by word and line by line, underlining or highlighting every word and phrase you dont understand. Dont worry if there are a lot of underlinings; youre still not trying to make sense of the article. Now you have several things you might do with these vocabulary and concept questions, depending upon the kind of question each is. You can Look up simple words and phrases. Often the question is simply vocabulary--whats a lateral malleolus, or a christa, or the semilunar valve. A medical or biological dictionary is a good place to look for definitions. A textbook of physiology or anatomy may be a good source, because it give more complete explanations. Your ordinary shelf dictionary is not a good source, because the definitions may not be precise enough or may not reflect the way in which scientists use a word (for example efficiency has a common definition, but the physical definition is much more restricted.) Get an understanding from the context in which it is used. Often words that are used to describe the procedures used in an experiment can be understood from the context, and may be very specific to the paper you are reading. Examples are the lithium-free control group in a rat experiment or the carotene extraction procedure in a biochemical experiment. Of course, you should be careful when deciding that you understand a word from its context,