BIOL 153 Intro to Marine Biology & BIOL 353 Marine Biology

Primary research articles - a type of scientific literature

Primary research articles present original research for the first time. They include detailed data and results from experiments, surveys, or studies that the authors themselves conducted. Watch the Google Slides Presentation, or the video, Primary Research Articles: What to Look For below.

Primary Research Articles: What to Look For

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

Open the link to Anatomy of a Scholarly Article, then click on the highlighted areas to open the descriptions and learn about what's included within each section.

How to Read and Comprehend Scientific Research Articles

Skim Articles in ADIRM Order. Reading through research articles in this order will make it easier to find the information you're looking for. The most effective way to read an article is in this order (ADIRM):

1. Abstract - states the purpose or rationale of the study, methodology, results, and conclusion
2. Discussion - answers the question posed in the Introduction and explains whether the results support the conclusion
3. Introduction - disusses prior research on the topic, motivation for the study, presents their research question, and hypothesis
4. Results - state what the authors found and the key data collected from the research
5. Methods - describes the experiment performed to answer the research question

Additonal Help on How to Read a Primary Research Article

• Science Buddies How to Read a Scientific Paper - This website contains tips on how to approach and read primary research articles. 
• Watch the video tutorial below: How to Read and comprehend Scientific Research Articles to learn more