Nursing

Why Read? 

Reading makes you a better writer! 

Reading a text effectively involves: 

• Understanding 
• Evaluating 
• Reflecting 

How to Read an Article? 

There are a few tips that can make you a better, more efficient reader: 

• Try to read in a place without distractions. If you are reading online, try muting any notifications that come to your device 
• Pre-read the text. Essentially, skim the article before reading it in full. Look for headings, images, graphs, and important messages within the text
• Annotate or make notes about the text. Summarize key points (try to use your own words), and even ask questions to yourself about what you have read
• Research and follow up on concepts or ideas you didn't fully understand 

Most articles are structured in the same way: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. Sometimes, it is helpful to read parts of the article out of order. A common method to reading a scientific paper is: 

1. Skim the article without taking notes. Read the Title, Abstract and then skim the body of the paper to get a "big picture". You can write down any terms or techniques you need to define 
2. Read the Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections in detail. Ask yourself questions like:

• What problems does this study address?  
• Why is it important 
• Is the method sound/good? 
• Are the findings logical and supported by the evidence presented? 
• Are they unique? How are the results contextualized in the field? 
• What factors might affect the outcome?

3. Write your own 3-5 sentence summary of the article (really try to use your own words). Note the key points: purpose of study/questions asked, assumptions, major findings & conclusions; questions unanswered, and what surprised you about the article?  

How to Write

There are a few things to think about when you start writing: 

• Audience/writing purpose 
• Tone of writing (influenced by audience)
• Sentence and paragraph construction (including topic sentences, thesis statements, integrating sources, organizing and connecting ideas)
• Clarity in language and phrasing 
• Grammer 
• Citation (APA style, direct quotes, in-text citation, paraphrasing, reference lists)