As you search, find sources, and deal with the deluge of information, ask yourself questions. This will help you determine which sources are relevant for your work.
- Why does this particular source exist? What can you discover about the authors, publication venue, or project funding?
- Do you need to have the most current information?
- In the sciences and engineering, the answer is usually yes. However, you might be interested in the evolution of a technique you plan to use in your own work.
- What do others have to say about this particular piece of information?
Understanding the different parts of an academic paper
The usual parts of an academic paper include:
- Abstract - summarizes the research and findings
- Introduction - includes background, history, and rationale for the project described
- Methods - "what did the authors do, and how did they do it?"
- Results - findings of the work
- Discussion - "what does it all mean?" as well as limitations of the work
- Conclusion - summarizes results, and often includes suggestions for future work
Dealing with jargon
It's ok if you don't recognize all of the words in an academic paper. This is actually a common occurrence! A few tips:
- You don't have to read linearly (that is, from the first sentence, in order, all the way to the last).
- Ask yourself: what question does this paper ask? What's the main point?
- Check out the charts, graphs, and/or equations. What can you glean from them?
- Look for section headings (see "understanding the different parts of a paper") of interest.
- How to (seriously) read a scientific paperThis is an older (from 2016) but still relevant piece from Science. Scientists at every stage, from students to professors and industry professionals, were asked: how do you read a scientific paper? Their responses are many and diverse.
