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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

How to Read a Scientific Paper: Home

Strategies and approaches to reading a scientific journal article.

Purpose of the Guide

This libguide intends to demystify scientific papers, and offers strategies on how to efficiently read and understand them. Reading a scientific article is not like reading a book, and learning how to efficiently read one is an important skill for scientific researchers and students.

Under the Structure of an Article section, you will learn about each part of a scientific paper, as well as questions to ask as you read through one. 

Under the eTools for Further Learning section, you will find more resources for understanding how to read a scientific paper. 

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Biology Librarian
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Biosciences Librarian: Kelli Trei, Liaison to the Schools of Life Sciences in LAS: Molecular & Cellular Biology, Integrative Biology, and the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology

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Subjects: Biology