CHAPTER 1

SCIENTIFIC
ARTICLE
At the end of the lesson, students are able
to:
1. understand what is scientific articles
2. understand why we have to read
scientific articles
3. understand parts of the scientific
articles
 SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Scientific articles (also known as a "journal articles") are a special type of written

work that have particular characteristics:
 They are usually published in a periodical called a journal whose purpose is
to publish this kind of work.  Generally, journals differ greatly from general
interest writing on scientific topics such as magazine articles and science
news although some journals also have a section devoted to general interest
writing.  Occasionally scientific papers are compiled in book form but this is
not the norm.
 They are peer reviewed.  That means that the paper has been subjected to
the scrutiny of several experts in the field who verify the quality of the writing
and the accuracy of the analysis and conclusions drawn by the authors. 
 They are citable.  This means that: the content is stable, the journal is readily
available in libraries and (usually) through the Web, and there are
standardized methods of identifying a particular article.  Thus an author can
refer to a paper with confidence that a reader can easily look up that
reference at any point in the future.
 They include citations.  This means that the paper frequently makes reference
to previous publications that are relevant to the work being discussed.  All
cited works are listed in a reference section at the end of the paper. 
Footnotes at the bottom of each pager are not used to make citations. 
 The general outline/flow is as follows
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
7. References/Literature cited
 A scientific article presents research findings written by researchers and
scientists.  They are generally considered primary sources and are written for other
researchers. The most recent articles will contain the most recent work in the field,
with references to previously published works in the field of study.

Reading a scientific paper should not be done in a linear way (from beginning
to end); instead, it should be done strategically and with a critical mindset,
questioning your understanding and the findings. Sometimes you will have to go
backwards and forwards, take notes and have multiples tabs opened in your
browser.

A. How to Read a Scientific Article

Make sure you know enough about the topic before you start. Begin by
researching background information on the topic. Review articles might be a good
place to start.
Read the article in parts. Skim through to find the section that will help you
with your research question and focus there first.
Print the article out and read with a pencil or pen so you can take notes as
you go along. This is especially helpful for complex articles and topics.

B. Types of Scientific Articles

Original Articles contain original data and present the results of empirical studies.
This type of paper is a primary source.
Review Articles summarize and critique original articles within a single field. They
will produce a continuous view of a subject using a number of
original articles. This is a secondary source and may be a good
place to start if you are looking for an overview on a particular
topic.
Theoretical Articles present new theories developed from existing research. These
papers will be built on data taken from other sources and
results from original articles.
White Papers are an authoritative report or guide presenting the issuing body's
philosophy on the matter. While they may be based on original
research, they are meant to promote a group’s stance or viewpoint.
 In science, White Papers are sometimes referred to as Grey
Literature as they are published scientific literature outside of
commercial publishing and the peer review process.

C. Parts of a Scientific Article

1. Abstract
An abstract is a short summary of a research. It is intended to describe a work
without going into great detail. Abstracts should be self-contained and concise,
explaining a work as briefly and clearly as possible.
Probably the most important function of an abstract is to help a reader decide
if he or she is interested in reading your entire publication. For instance, imagine that
you’re an undergraduate student sitting in the library late on a Friday night. You’re
tired, bored, and sick of looking up articles about the history of celery. The last thing
you want to do is reading an entire article only to discover it contributes nothing to
your argument. A good abstract can solve this problem by indicating to the reader if
the work is likely to be meaningful to his or her particular research project.
Additionally, abstracts are used to help libraries catalogue publications based on the
keywords that appear in them.
An effective abstract will contain several key features:
1. Motivation/problem statement: Why is the research/argument important? What
practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is the project filling?
2. Methods/procedure/approach: What did the writer actually do to get the
results? (e.g. analyzed 3 novels, completed a series of 5 oil paintings,
interviewed 17 students)
3. Results/findings/product: As a result of completing the above procedure, what
did the writer learn/invent/create?
4. Conclusion/implications: What are the larger implications of the writer’s
findings, especially for the problem/gap identified previously? Why is this
research valuable?

Read the examples of abstract below. Find out:

1. Motivation/problem statement.
2. Methods/procedure/approach.
3. Results/findings/product.
4. Conclusion/implications.
2. Introduction
Introduction section states the purpose, the rationale for carrying out the
research including background information on what is known, current state of what is
unknown and clearly highlights the gaps the present study aims to fulfill.
“Introduction” in scientific articles is the “entrance gate” that introduces the
paper to attract attention and create urge to the readers, reviewers and peers to read
further sections of the manuscript. This section should have a "hook" to gain the
reader’s attention as why this research work was chosen, and why is it important?
This section summarizes the relevant literature to help the reader understand why
the study question is important. This section must appropriately choose past studies
to set the background to provide the reader adequate information regarding the
necessity of the project to justify the worthiness of the study. The function of the
introduction is to establish the context of the work by discussing the relevant
literature and clearly summarizing the understanding of the problem and provide
rationale and possible outcomes the present study.
Introduction usually contains three distinct themes, preferably in separate
paragraphs: The first or the beginning provides ‘general overview’ of the topic,
including past literatures to provide clear objective of the study. This is done by
including key words from title in the first few sentences to focus directly on the topic.
The aim is to build a rapport, right from the beginning between the reader and the
article proper, with clear and robust information on the research topic. The literature
review and choice of research method should make the reader understand the issue
that current work attempted to resolve. Care should be taken so that the literature
review is not too exhaustive to include all the available knowledge in field of study.
The introduction concludes with a clear statement the purpose and objectives
to help readers see clearly the evolution, importance, and critical aspects of the
study. Schematic diagram of a good introduction is to follow the structure of inverted
triangle:
Read the example of an introduction below. Find out:
1. What is already known on the topic?
2. What is the research problem?
3. What is aim of the research?
3. Methods
The methods section tells the readers how the author(s) went about doing
their research. It should let the readers know what method they used to gather data
(survey, interviews, experiments, etc.), why they chose this method, and what the
limitations are to this method.
The methodology section should be detailed enough that another researcher
could replicate the study described. When you read the methodology or methods
section:
a. What kind of research method did the authors use? Is it an appropriate
method for the type of study they are conducting?
b. How did the authors get their tests subjects? What criteria did they use?
c. What are the contexts of the study that may have affected the results (e.g.
environmental conditions, lab conditions, timing questions, etc.)
d. Is the sample size representative of the larger population (i.e., was it big
enough?)
e. Are the data collection instruments and procedures likely to have measured
all the important characteristics with reasonable accuracy?
f. Does the data analysis appear to have been done with care, and were
appropriate analytical techniques used?
A good researcher will always let you know about the limitations of his or her
research.
Read the example of a method below. What method is used by the writer to do this
research?
4. Results
The results section of the research paper is where the writer reports the
findings of the research based upon the information gathered as a result of the
methodology applied. The results section should simply state the findings, without
bias or interpretation, and arranged in a logical sequence.
Read the result of the research below. Find out how the writer find the result
of the research and what is the finding of the research?
5. Discussion
The purpose of the discussion section is to interpret and describe the
significance of the research findings in relation to what was already known about the
research problem being investigated and to explain any new understanding or
insights that emerged as a result of your research.
The discussion will always connect to the introduction by way of the research
questions or hypotheses posed and the literature reviewed, but the discussion does
not simply repeat or rearrange the first parts of the article; the discussion clearly
explains how the research advanced the reader's understanding of the research
problem.
The discussion section is often considered the most important part of a
scientific article because it:
1. most effectively demonstrates the ability as a researcher to think critically
about an issue, to develop creative solutions to problems based upon a
logical synthesis of the findings, and to formulate a deeper, more profound
understanding of the research problem under investigation;
2. Presents the underlying meaning of a research, notes possible implications in
other areas of study, and explores possible improvements that can be made
in order to further develop the concerns of your research;
3. Highlights the importance of the study and how it can contribute to
understanding the research problem within the field of study;
4. Presents how the findings from the study revealed and helped fill gaps in the
literature that had not been previously exposed or adequately described; and,
5. Engages the reader in thinking critically about issues based on an evidence-
based interpretation of findings; it is not governed strictly by objective
reporting of information.

Read the discussion of a scientific article below. How does the writer compare his or
her results with those from other studies?
6. Conclusions:
6. Conclusion
The conclusion of a research paper is where the writer wraps up the ideas
and leave the reader with a strong final impression. It has several key goals:
 Restate the research problem addressed in the paper
 Summarize overall arguments or findings
 Suggest the key takeaways from the paper

Read the example of the conclusion below. How does the writer summarize his/her
research?
7. References
Referencing allows the writer to acknowledge the contribution of other writers
and researchers in a research. Any university assignments that draw on the ideas,
words or research of other writers must contain citations.
Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from borrowed words
and ideas. Referencing is a way to provide evidence to support the assertions and
claims in a research.

Read the reference below.