Infographic 0.1: How to Read a Scientific Article

There are three sections in this infographic. Section one is titled “How to Read a Scientific Article” and is entirely text. The text reads “Psychologists publish their research findings in peer-reviewed, scientific journals. Scientific journal articles are different from news articles or blog posts you would find through a typical Internet search. When you read news articles or blog posts about scientific research, you can’t assume these sources accurately interpret the study’s findings or appropriately emphasize what the study’s original authors think is important. For a full description of the background, methodology, results, and application of a study’s findings, you must read a scientific article.” Section two is titled “How do I find a Scientific Article?” Text under the title reads “You can find scientific journal articles through online journal databases such as PsycINFO, available through your school library, or Google Scholar, a search engine accessible on any computer. Search results can provide references that follow a standard format, like this:” Under this text is an image of an academic citation, which reads as follows: Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C. & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effects of parents’ math anxiety on children’s math achievement and anxiety. Psychological Science, 26, 1480–1488. doi:10.1177/0956797615592630. Labeling points out that the citation includes the following sections, in order: Authors, Publication year, title of article, Title of Journal, Volume number, page numbers, and digital object identifier. Section three is titled “What’s in a Scientific Article?” Text under the title reads “At first glance, scientific articles can seem overwhelming. It helps to know what you will find in a typical article. Scientific articles follow a specific organizational style and include the following elements:” The elements are as follows, from top to bottom. Title. Authors. Abstract - a brief description of the entire article that helps you quickly decide if the article describes research you are interested in. Keywords - Identify themes or topics in article, and can be used to search for similar articles. Introduction - explains topic of study, relevant previous research, and specific goals and hypothesis. Method - describes how study was conducted, and provides details about participants, materials and procedures, allowing the study to be replicated. Results - Describes data collected and outcome of study, and often includes tables, graphs, or figures. Discussion - interprets results to determine support for the research hypotheses, and often reports the study’s limitations, contributions, and implications for future research. References - listing of all articles cited, and a great place to look for additional research articles.