PETER WADE / FREE LEARNING RESOURCE
Read with purpose.
Six prompts for making sense of a research paper, one useful question at a time.
You do not have to understand every sentence on a first reading. Use these six prompts to create a working map of the paper, then return to the difficult sections with a purpose.
1. What question is being asked?
Write the research question in your own words. Separate it from the wider motivation or problem described in the introduction.
2. What was actually done?
Identify the system, samples or data, the method, and any comparison or control. Is this an experiment, an observational study, a model or a review?
3. What is the central evidence?
Choose one important figure or table. Check the axes, units, sample description and meaning of any error bars. Describe the pattern before reading the authors’ interpretation again.
4. What connects the evidence to the claim?
What assumptions or reasoning steps are needed? Are the authors describing an association, proposing a mechanism or testing a causal claim? Do not treat these as interchangeable.
5. Where are the limits?
Look for uncertainty, excluded cases, measurement limits, model choices and alternative explanations. Where might the conclusion stop applying?
6. What will you take forward?
Write three lines: the main contribution, one unresolved question, and why the paper matters to your own question. Keep the full citation with your notes.
A useful final check: Can you explain the question, method and strongest evidence to another person without repeating the abstract?
Bring your next question.
These prompts are a starting point for independent study, not a replacement for course guidance or research supervision.
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