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WHE 2850

blue and gray image that reads "searching for evidence: wellness and health literature." Three figures with magnifying glasses are shown below the text.

Health Information

Peer-Reviewed Resources

Dealing with scientific jargon

It's ok if you don't recognize all of the words in a scientific 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?
  • Look for section headings (see below) of interest.

Understanding the different parts of a scientific paper

Usual parts of an academic paper:

  • 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