How I read a paper!

Summary

In this episode of Sketchy EVM, Anthony Croco shares his efficient method for reading research papers. He emphasizes the importance of the methods and results sections for objective information, while advising to skip the potentially biased introduction and conclusion sections. Croco suggests using resources to understand the gold standard of research methodology, and encourages viewers to draw their own conclusions based on the findings presented.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is a guide on how to efficiently read research papers by Anthony Croco, who is an 'IBM nerd'.
• 🔍 Anthony suggests starting with the title and abstract to determine the paper's relevance to one's interests or needs.
• 🚫 If the paper isn't relevant, he advises discarding it and moving on, saving time for more pertinent research.
• 📘 He emphasizes that the methods section is crucial and should be thoroughly reviewed for research design and potential biases.
• 📚 Anthony recommends using resources like the 'Users' Guide to the Medical Literature' to understand the gold standard in research methodology.
• ✅ If the methodology is sound and generalizable, he continues reading; otherwise, he stops engaging with the paper.
• 📊 The results section is another key part that should be read in detail to understand what the authors found.
• 💭 He advises skipping the discussion section as it contains the authors' opinions and may not be as objective.
• 🔚 The author's conclusions are also subjective and can be compared with one's own conclusions drawn from the results.
• 🧐 Anthony's approach focuses on extracting objective information from the methods and results, avoiding subjective content.
• 🔍 Future episodes of 'Sketchy GBM' will delve into specific research types and how to discern quality within them.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video 'Sketchy EVM' by Anthony Croco?

The main purpose of the video is to share Anthony Croco's method for efficiently reading and understanding research papers.

Why can reading research papers be a daunting task?

Reading research papers can be daunting due to the time and effort required to go through them, especially when one is not familiar with the topic or the research methodology.

What are the six common sections of a research paper according to Anthony Croco?

The six common sections of a research paper are the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and author's conclusions.

Why does Anthony Croco suggest skipping the introduction section of a research paper?

He suggests skipping the introduction because it may not provide an unbiased review of the topic and is more about the authors' background information rather than justifying the research.

What does Anthony Croco consider the most important part of a research paper and why?

Anthony Croco considers the methods section the most important part of a research paper because it details the research design and helps identify any methodological errors, signs of bias, or issues of generalizability.

What resources does Anthony Croco recommend to guide one through the process of evaluating research papers?

He recommends resources such as the Users' Guide to the Medical Literature and the JAMA Evidence series to understand the gold standard for research methodology.

How does Anthony Croco approach the results section of a research paper?

He believes the results section should be read in detail as it provides enough information for one to draw their own conclusions.

Why does Anthony Croco generally not read the discussion section of a research paper?

He does not read the discussion section because it contains the authors' opinions and interpretations of the results, which he considers subjective and not necessary after having drawn one's own conclusions from the results.

What does Anthony Croco advise about the author's conclusions in a research paper?

He advises that the author's conclusions offer a counterpoint to the reader's own conclusions drawn from the results and should not be the primary source of interpretation.

What are the two parts of a research paper that Anthony Croco believes should be mostly objective?

Anthony Croco believes the methods and results sections of a research paper should be mostly objective as they provide the factual basis for the study.

What future plans does Anthony Croco have for the 'Sketchy GBM' series?

In future episodes of 'Sketchy GBM', Anthony Croco plans to look at specific research types and teach viewers how to distinguish good research from bad.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Research Paper Reading Strategy

Anthony Croco, the host of 'Sketchy EVM', introduces his method for efficiently reading research papers, a task that many find daunting due to the time and effort required. He emphasizes that while it's not a one-size-fits-all approach, it has been effective for him in most cases. Research papers typically follow a standard structure of six sections: title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. The host's strategy involves a selective reading process that focuses on the most relevant and objective parts of a paper.

🔍 Selective Reading: Title and Abstract

The first step in Anthony's approach is to review the title and abstract to determine the paper's relevance to his interests or needs. If the paper is not relevant, he discards it and moves on. This selective process helps in quickly filtering out papers that are not pertinent to the reader's focus, saving time for more relevant research.

❌ Skipping Introduction for Efficiency

Anthony advises skipping the introduction section, as it often contains the authors' biases and is not an unbiased review of the topic. Instead, he suggests focusing on the methods section, which he considers the most crucial part of a research paper. This section should be scrutinized for research design, methodological rigor, potential bias, and generalizability.

🔬 Importance of the Methods Section

The methods section is where Anthony spends most of his time, looking for signs of methodological soundness and potential bias. He recommends having resources at hand, such as the 'Users' Guide to the Medical Literature' or the 'JAMA Evidence Series', to guide the evaluation of research methodology. If the methodology is not satisfactory, he suggests discarding the paper and moving on.

📊 Detailed Review of Results

After ensuring the paper's methodology is sound, Anthony moves on to the results section, which he believes should be read in detail. The results should provide enough information for readers to draw their own conclusions independently of the authors' interpretations.

🤔 Discussion Section: Authors' Opinions

In the discussion section, authors provide their interpretations of the results, which Anthony views as their personal opinions. Since readers should form their own conclusions based on the results, he generally does not read this section, focusing instead on the objective data presented earlier in the paper.

📝 Conclusions: Authors' Summaries vs. Reader's Insights

The final section of a research paper contains the authors' conclusions, which Anthony sees as a counterpoint to the reader's own conclusions drawn from the results. He emphasizes that the methods and results sections are the most objective parts of a paper, while other sections may contain subjective content and potential bias. Anthony's approach is to focus on the objective information and avoid being influenced by the authors' subjective interpretations.

Keywords

💡Research Papers

Research papers are scholarly articles that present original research results. They are essential in academic and scientific fields, often used to communicate new findings and theories. In the video, Anthony croco discusses his approach to reading research papers efficiently, emphasizing the importance of understanding their structure and content.

💡Randomized Control Trial

A randomized control trial (RCT) is a type of scientific experiment that aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment or intervention. It involves randomly assigning participants into a control group and one or more experimental groups. The script mentions RCTs as one of the types of research papers that follow a standard structure.

💡Systematic Review

A systematic review is a comprehensive analysis of all available research on a specific topic, aiming to provide a summary of the current state of knowledge. It is mentioned in the script as a type of research paper that Anthony croco might encounter and suggests that they have a standard structure similar to other papers.

💡Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to combine the results of multiple studies to provide a more robust conclusion. It is mentioned in the script as another type of research paper that Anthony croco discusses, indicating that it also follows a standard format.

💡Title and Abstract

The title and abstract are the initial sections of a research paper that provide a brief overview of the study's content and purpose. In the script, Anthony croco suggests starting with these sections to determine if the paper is relevant to the reader's interests.

💡Introduction Section

The introduction section of a research paper sets the context and provides background information on the topic. Anthony croco advises skipping this section initially, as it may not be a systematic review and could contain biased information.

💡Methods Section

The methods section is crucial in a research paper as it details how the study was conducted. Anthony croco emphasizes the importance of this section, looking for research design, methodological rigor, and potential biases that could affect the study's conclusions.

💡Results Section

The results section of a research paper presents the findings of the study. Anthony croco suggests reading this section in detail, as it should provide enough information for readers to draw their own conclusions, independent of the authors' interpretations.

💡Discussion Section

The discussion section is where authors interpret their results and discuss their implications. Anthony croco mentions that this section is often subjective and may not be read initially, as it reflects the authors' opinions rather than objective data.

💡Author's Conclusions

The author's conclusions section summarizes the study's findings and provides the authors' final thoughts. Anthony croco advises that by the time readers reach this section, they should have already formed their own conclusions based on the objective data presented in the methods and results sections.

💡Bias

Bias refers to systematic errors in research that can lead to distorted results or conclusions. Anthony croco discusses the importance of identifying potential biases in research papers, particularly in the methods section, to ensure the reliability and generalizability of the findings.

Highlights

Anthony Croco introduces his method for efficiently reading research papers, emphasizing the common challenge faced by many.

Most research papers are structured into six sections: title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.

The title and abstract help determine the paper's relevance to the reader's interests or needs.

The introduction section provides background but may not offer an unbiased review of the topic.

The methods section is crucial for evaluating research design, potential biases, and generalizability.

Resources like the 'Users' Guide to the Medical Literature' can assist in understanding research methodology.

If the methods are unsatisfactory, it may be best to stop reading the paper and move on.

The results section should contain enough information for readers to draw their own conclusions.

The discussion section represents the authors' opinions and context for the results, which may not be read if the reader prefers to form their own opinion.

The authors' conclusions offer a counterpoint to the reader's own conclusions drawn from the results.

The methods and results sections are the most objective parts of a research paper.

Other sections may contain biases and are more subjective.

Croco suggests focusing on the objective information and avoiding subjective content.

Future episodes of Sketchy GBM will cover specific research types and how to discern quality.

The importance of evaluating research papers critically and drawing one's own conclusions is emphasized.

Sketchy GBM encourages viewers to take the time to evaluate research and form their own opinions.

Transcripts

hey hey welcome to sketchy EVM as always

I'm your host Anthony croco and today I

want to go through how I read most

research papers it's not uncommon that

we get stuck having to read research

papers either because you're an IBM nerd

like me or you're doing journal club or

you have a clinical question at some

point you're going to get stuck reading

a research paper and this can really be

a daunting task you have a lot to go

through and you know it's going to take

a lot of time and a lot of effort I want

to share with you how I efficiently get

through research papers now this isn't

going to work for you all the time with

all papers and sometimes you have to go

through everything in detail but it

works for me most of the time the good

news is most research papers whether

it's a randomized control trial or a

systematic review meta-analysis or

whatever are divided into the same six

sections you have your title and

abstract your introduction your methods

the results section the discussion and

then finally the author's conclusions so

here's my average approach I'll look at

the title and abstract to answer one

question is this topic in paper at all

relevant to me or not if the answer is

yes then I move on to read the rest of

the paper if the answer is no I throw

the paper and move on with my life

next is the introduction section what

you have to remember about the

introduction section is the author's are

trying to provide some background

information what the introduction is not

is a systematic review on the topic the

authors may or may not be providing

information in the introduction section

that really justifies the rest of the

research it's not necessarily an

unbiased review of the topic knowing

this I usually skip the introduction the

next section is the methods section I

consider this to be the most important

part of a research paper and I spend a

lot of time looking through the methods

section what I'm looking for is what was

the research design were there any

method logic errors any signs of bias

that might have been generated issues of

generalizability all these things are

going to be important I do like to have

some resource on hand to help guide me

through this process and whether that's

the users guide to the medical

literature that the Jama evidence series

puts out or some other resource it's

important that you know what the gold

standard

for research methodology is and this

will apply for the next section as well

if I'm happy that the quality of the

research paper is good I'm going to

continue on reading the rest of the

paper if I'm not happy with the

methodology or not happy that it can be

generalizable to my patient population

I'm done with a research paper and I can

move on with my day the next section is

the results section and I think this one

needs to be read in detail as well the

results section should give you enough

information for you to draw your own

conclusions

next is the discussion section here the

authors are trying to give you the

context for the results and really kind

of tell you what the value of their

research was this is their opinion only

and as such I generally don't read the

discussion section finally we have the

author's conclusions here the authors

are providing their opinion and their

conclusions from their results since by

this point you've already read the

author's results and drawn your own

conclusions the author's conclusions

only offer a counterpoint for those

you've already made at the end of the

day there are really only two parts of

the research paper that should be mostly

objective the methods section and the

results section sadly all the other

sections are highly edited and likely to

be peppered with bias at the end of the

day what do I want you to know about how

I read a paper well by and large I look

for the objective information in a

research paper and stay clear of the

subjective content our objective

information is going to come from the

methods and results section I want to

know what did the authors do and what

did they find since we can think for

ourselves we can draw our own

conclusions in future episodes of

sketchy GBM we'll take the time to look

at specific research types and how to

tell the good the bad from the ugly I

hope you enjoyed this episode of sketchy

GBM please do take the time to evaluate

and as always draw your own conclusions