BMD 202: Survey of Biomedical Sciences Literature

This 2.5-minute video further explains this recommended reading strategy.

Source: Western Libraries, Western University

To efficiently assess the relevancy and quality of an article, you can initially review certain pieces of it in a certain order:

• the article title, name of the journal, and any keywords or databases subject terms (if available)
• the article's abstract/summary (if available), section headings throughout the paper, and topic sentences
• the conclusion paragraphs and data or information presented in figures/tables in the article

Reading in this order not only helps you quickly determine if the article is, in fact, worthy of closer attention, but it also gives your brain a roadmap of what to expect if you decide to read the entire article. This technique can help you better retain the information you read.

Source: Scientific Papers and Presentations, 3rd ed. (2012) by Martha Davis, Kaaron Joann Davis, pg. 39