Friday 7 August 2015

How to Read Academic Papers Without Losing Your Mind

Retrieved from: http://www.nextscientist.com/writers-block-phd-students/
I have to say that with assignment 4 and the critical critique of articles, going through the material was quite frustrating for me. Reading academic articles for research papers is always something that has been a part of school, and something I have become accustomed to doing. For some reason these six articles felt like a blockade in the road for me this time round. I was losing my mind! I had to take a deep breath, grab my mug full of coffee and tackle them one at a time....

This video I found tweeted to the MALAT group on reading academic articles saved me:

 
It allowed me to break down the article into pieces and pick apart the data without feeling overwhelmed. 
1) Do not start off by reading them from beginning to end like a typical article or newspaper article
  
2) As you skim through, seek out section headings and any tables or diagrams. Underline any unfamilar words or language that is unfamiliar

3) Read through the paper from start to finish:
 - what is the point or thesis of the paper?
 - what are the main arguments?
 - importance?
 - contributions?
 - other questions?

4) At the end of your first pass, try and summarize the article in a sentence or two 

5) Second read through - to really dig in and extract information
  - pay close attention to the beginning and end of each paragraph   section
  - look up words or phrases you do not understand

6) Third pass - take notes as you read/make conclusions
  - charting in your own words 
  - arguments good and logical? assumptions made?

References:
 Kift, J., 2011. How to Read Academic Papers Without Losing Your Mind, Retreived from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYE1RoVO9oU

 



 






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2 comments:

  1. Unknown14 August 2015 at 11:09

    Thank you Petrina for summarizing the 3-pass approach - you know how much I love systematic processes and workflows.

    Since I typically combine the elements of the first and second pass into one step, I am going to now break them down into the two segments as suggested.

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  2. Unknown14 August 2015 at 15:50

    I must also say thank you for sharing with us your thoughts and frustrations! I have also been through this same experience, although not with this unit..... It is quite daunting when first encountered and requires some discipline and a steep learning curve - which I am still working on! This resource you have shared is excellent - thank you.

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