Critical Reading: Making Sense of Research Papers in Life Sciences and Medicine

by Yudkin; Ben

• ISBN13: 9780415344135
• ISBN10: 0415344131
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-05-16
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Experienced scientists and medical researchers know how important it is to engage with research literature in an active, critical and analytical way. However in most universities little time is devoted to teaching the relevant skills. Readers who accept scientific papers uncritically may misunderstand results, misinterpret the experimental significance of techniques, over or underestimate the importance of findings and waste time and resources on flawed or unnecessary experiments. Critical Reading is aimed at everyone who needs to read original research papers in life sciences and medicine: final-year undergraduates, graduate students, research scientists, clinicians and medical researchers. Through a series of clearly focused chapters, the reader is introduced to critical reading skills such as: Detection and analysis of spin Development of active reading habits Evaluation of methods, including qualitative methods Scientific analysis andinterpretation This book promotes a balanced, rigorous approach to the literature. It is unique in providing examples and end-of-chapter exercises from a wide range of scientific and clinical disciplines including biochemistry, ecology, immunology and physiology. Principles are extensively illustrated by reference to real papers, which are discussed constructively in the context of the pressures and technical difficulties that face researchers. The skills Critical Reading imparts will deepen readers' understanding of the research process, increase enjoyment and enhance professional confidence and effectiveness in academic, clinical and commercial settings.

Table of Contents

List of figures	viii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgements	xi
1 The paper trail	1	(13)
The deep end	1	(2)
Sources of information	3	(5)
Textbooks	3	(1)
Reviews	3	(3)
Research papers	6	(2)
Finding what you need	8	(1)
Know your books	8	(5)
Know your journals	8	(1)
Hunting the needle	9	(3)
Looking into the future	12	(1)
References	13	(1)
2 Medium and message	14	(7)
Journals	14	(3)
Peer review	14	(2)
Prestige or puff?	16	(1)
The internet and other sources	17	(3)
A tangled web	17	(2)
Copying errors	19	(1)
References	20	(1)
3 Scientists as authors	21	(18)
Truth and relative truth	21	(5)
The world is orderly — isn't it?	22	(3)
Artefact or ugly fact?	25	(1)
Interpretation and presentation	26	(7)
The academic funding crisis	27	(1)
Science meets business	28	(1)
Stockholm beckons	29	(1)
Sex sells	30	(3)
Invisible science	33	(5)
Publication bias and reference bias	33	(3)
Calling the tune	36	(2)
References	38	(1)
4 The Abstract and Introduction	39	(10)
First impressions	40	(6)
Do I need to read the paper?	40	(1)
What is the paper about?	41	(2)
What was the point of the research?	43	(2)
What are Abstracts not for?	45	(1)
Exercise	46	(3)
5 Materials and Methods	49	(18)
The scientific method	50	(9)
Attention please	50	(1)
Method or madness?	51	(6)
What are controls for?	57	(2)
The scientific question	59	(2)
A clear problem	59	(2)
Exercise	61	(6)
6 Quantitative methods	67	(29)
Significant figures	68	(12)
Statistical significance	68	(5)
Confidence intervals	73	(1)
Sample size	74	(6)
The significance of figures	80	(3)
Exercise	83	(12)
References	95	(1)
7 Thinking science	96	(30)
Assumptions and deductions	97	(8)
Outside the box	97	(5)
Lines of reasoning	102	(3)
Reading research	105	(5)
Revisiting the paper trail	106	(4)
Exercise	110	(15)
Reference	125	(1)
Appendix	126	(1)
References for the exercise in Chapter 4	126	(1)
Index	127	(1)
Index of Papers in Focus and papers by subject	128