How, and why, science and health researchers read scientific (IMRAD) papers.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The purpose of our study was to determine the order in which science and health researchers read scientific papers, their reasons for doing so and the perceived difficulty and perceived importance of each section.

Study design and setting

An online survey open to science and health academics and researchers distributed via existing research networks, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

Results

Almost 90% of respondents self-declared to be experienced in reading research papers. 98.6% of the sample read the abstract first because it provides an overview of the paper and facilitates a decision on continuing to read on or not. Seventy-five percent perceived it to be the easiest to read and 62.4% perceived it to be very important (highest rank on a 5-point Like

SUBMITTER: Shiely F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10802960 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature