Does anyone else feel like a ****** when...

[MEG@COOL]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

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[Bluntman]

I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

Maybe cause they're out enjoying life during their free time and not trying to read biochem articles?

(ok ok please don't kill me now. meg@cool seriously frightens bluntman sometimes. )

 

[Kuba]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

Join a Journal Club. Practice makes perfect. You'll realize how similar many papers are in their setup.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Maybe cause they're out enjoying life during their free time and not trying to read biochem articles?

(ok ok please don't kill me now. meg@cool seriously frightens bluntman sometimes. )

Yeah, I don't think I have ever seen a biochemistry article.

 

[vkhalsa]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

when i started my MS in bio reading journals was the hardest thing to do, but after having read a ton of papers it became significantly easier and all the science made sense.

 

[Severus]

When I started working in my current lab, I felt like a total ****** when I looked up stuff on synuclein or PINK1 or some such. Now, after a year of working with the stuff and reading article after article, I just get it; it's like one day, it just sort of clicked.

Just keep reading.

 

[relentless11]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

If you think thats bad, wait till you read medical charts..lol. Somewhat unstandardized abbreviations, bad handwriting, multiple drug names for the same drug...haha.

Anyway, just keep at it. It may take you longer in the beginning but as someone said above, practice makes perfect. I can read clinical research relatively easily, but the basic science stuff still gets me every now and then.

 

[PariPari]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

i've never tried to read a biochem article (b/c i know i'd fail) but immunology articles make my head spin, i had to make a cheat sheet w/ abbreviations & definitions

 

[sheepunite]

it's much easier to digest articles in the context of a class or journal club. mostly, understanding articles is a matter of mastering the terminology. oftentimes, too, it's a matter of the authors not justifying their techniques, making their methods section pretty opaque or just plain unintelligible.

 

[MEG@COOL]

Maybe cause they're out enjoying life during their free time and not trying to read biochem articles?

(ok ok please don't kill me now. meg@cool seriously frightens bluntman sometimes. )

*STAB*

 

[zimmie256]

it's much easier to digest articles in the context of a class or journal club. mostly, understanding articles is a matter of mastering the terminology. oftentimes, too, it's a matter of the authors not justifying their techniques, making their methods section pretty opaque or just plain unintelligible.

Or not showing enough of their data! I hate that! I know there are space constraints in journals, but come on... I've seen some ridiculous articles that had a line saying "Data not shown" at the end of almost every paragraph... Particularly in biochem...

 

[RxnMan]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all.

It took me a long time to get comfortable with reading science journal articles. The best thing to do is to read them and reread them. Maybe join a journal group and discuss them. Until you're experienced in the field, it's difficult to pick out what the authors are doing because you haven't done anything similar yourself. I can look at motion science articles nowadays and say 'this makes sense' or 'no, that's not possible with their equipment,' but that's only after doing it and reading about it for 18 months.

On another tack, different fields will write their articles differently. Biochem articles are frequently a mass of solid paragraphs and look like alphabet soup with all of the abbreviations. Engineering articles look like lots of greek symbols because they will develop the working equation in the methods section. It takes patience to get comfortable with different styles.

 

[do-ca]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

What article are you reading?

I ask b/c I am working in biochem reserach right now.

 

[kirexhana]

aren't journal articles geared towards the researchers in that particular field? unless you're a PhD that specializes in lipid biochemistry, reading a paper for the first time in lipid research is going to be tough for anyone on their own.

 

[dr.z]

aren't journal articles geared towards the researchers in that particular field? unless you're a PhD that specializes in lipid biochemistry, reading a paper for the first time in lipid research is going to be tough for anyone on their own.

It is true. For somethings you really need to be in the field to understand the studies. You need some sort of background knowledge to start off with.

 

[Dr.Acula]

In the research that I do we are required to discuss a journal article (usually something to do with regulation in the microvasculature) and I HATE it. While I do understand some of it, i too feel like an idiot sometimes, so atleast you're not alone! In all honesty if you didn't write the article or have the prefix "Dr." you probably couldn't intelligently and thoroughly disect a journal article with out a lot of practice and probably a computer with google only a click away.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

How terrible to see future doctors using the term "******". Grow up. Hate speech is not kool.

 

[Dr2010]

How terrible to see future doctors using the term "******". Grow up. Hate speech is not kool.

give me a break, stop bein so sensitive.

 

[Severus]

How terrible to see future doctors using the term "******". Grow up. Hate speech is not kool.

Neither is spelling "cool", "kool" or having incredibly thin skin.

Man, I swear, it's this kind of holier-than-thou crap that made me flee every pre-med club I came in contact with.

It's medicine, people... not the clergy.

 

[zimmie256]

Neither is spelling "cool", "kool" or having incredibly thin skin.

Man, I swear, it's this kind of holier-than-thou crap that made me flee every pre-med club I came in contact with.

It's medicine, people... not the clergy.

Hear hear!

 

[g3pro]

How terrible to see future doctors using the term "******". Grow up. Hate speech is not kool.

Being pretentious makes you a better physician? Cracka please.




For those who can't read journal articles very well: get used to it. It's called verbal reasoning, and it's a section on the MCAT.

 

[jonathon]

I’m an undergraduate student myself. The scientific journals are not meant to be easy reads (it's used as communication between scientsits and not lay people). As an undergraduate student you are not expected to be able to break down every article you read in great detail. However, as you gain experience in reading journal articles you learn the format of the articles and how to dissect the articles. The least important part of the articles is the abstract and introduction. The last couple of lines (or paragraph) in the introduction is the most important aspect of the introduction section. The rest of the introduction is used as background information. If a person can’t understand the background information in the introduction then you will not be able to understand the results and the questions being asked. If it takes y you 30 minutes to understand the introduction then that is the amount of time you will need to take to understand it. When you come across a term or some information you have never seen or heard before (which will happen in just about every article you read no matter how experienced you are) you need to do a literature search to understand it. Also, in the introduction section you need to understand the differences in the abbreviations being used as many fields of research in the biological sciences use the same abbreviations for different meanings. So it takes a great deal of time to get used to the way certain fields “talk” in the literature.

The methods are one of the most important parts of the research paper. In this section you will not be able to understand a crappy designed research paper if you don’t have background in the field because it will be challenging to pick out what is missing and what they could/should have done differently or what to do to improve the design. A good well designed research paper is much easier to understand and much easier to replicate. If you are reading a scientific paper just to gain knowledge about a topic then the methods section is one of the least important parts of the paper. When gaining general knowledge all one needs to know are the techniques used. When becoming an expert in a certain area of research you have to be able to tear apart the methods used by other competitors.

Results are very important for people who want to replicate data. This is the area of papers that are full of misinformation, or incorrect information, fabrication, or very interesting findings, or just useless findings. Not every scientist is going to interpret the results of a research paper exactly the same. So having background information is also important in this area of the paper. The area of the paper that requires the least amount of background knowledge is the introduction.

Discussion is the section of the paper will you need to be able to pick out future studies from what you see in the results section.

As you become an expert in a certain field of research you begin to know whose research to trust and whose research not to trust.

It takes a lot of hard work to understand scientific research papers. I read a hell a lot of journal articles in the field of Human genetics. So I read journals Science, Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Genetics Review, Human Molecular Genetics, American Journal of Human Genetics, The American Journal of Medical Genetics, PNAS, Cell, Molecular Cell, EMBO, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology, Clinical Genetics, Journal of Medical Genetics, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology Reviews, Human Mutation, Gene, Genetics, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics, etc.

 

[BAM!]

Reality check: it's all terminology.

If you don't understand the paper, it's probably because it uses a lot of words you don't know or references chemicals/molecules you've never heard of.

They're not meant to be hard to understand. You just need to learn the language/terminology first. What I like doing is to use a dictionary/google search of every term I don't understand.

 

[e_phn]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

hey meg@cool!

i guess i am not alone after all.
i read science journal articles during my leisure time too(i don't really care if ppl say this is abnormal or bizarre), but of course i don't fathom every information. well, biochemistry is like a different language, so it's okay to feel stupid or ******ed.

 

[e_phn]

For those who can't read journal articles very well: get used to it. It's called verbal reasoning, and it's a section on the MCAT.

you read my mind.

 

[e_phn]

It takes a lot of hard work to understand scientific research papers. I read a hell a lot of journal articles in the field of Human genetics. So I read journals Science, Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Genetics Review, Human Molecular Genetics, American Journal of Human Genetics, The American Journal of Medical Genetics, PNAS, Cell, Molecular Cell, EMBO, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology, Clinical Genetics, Journal of Medical Genetics, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology Reviews, Human Mutation, Gene, Genetics, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics, etc.

wow, there are so many scientific research papers out there that i've never heard of. cool!! i get to read more!

Science is one of my favorite magazine.

 

[e_phn]

It takes a lot of hard work to understand scientific research papers. I read a hell a lot of journal articles in the field of Human genetics. So I read journals Science, Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Genetics Review, Human Molecular Genetics, American Journal of Human Genetics, The American Journal of Medical Genetics, PNAS, Cell, Molecular Cell, EMBO, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology, Clinical Genetics, Journal of Medical Genetics, Nature Molecular and Structural Biology Reviews, Human Mutation, Gene, Genetics, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics, etc.

did you actually memorize all the scientific research papers(the titles) that you read?
b/c i am having troubles w/ remembering mine.

 

[Centinel]

When they try to read biochemistry journal articles. Currently I am trying to research a particular topic in biochemistry (personal interest) by reading online journal articles and other sources. It makes me feel like I dont know any science at all. I sometimes wonder how people dumber than me even survive.

Meg - when I started, I definitely felt confused by most articles.

I'd say as a rule of thumb it's a good idea to find a review article on your subject of interest and read that before you delve into the real papers.

Over time, I've come to be comfortable with the articles, and even critical. Many papers are hard to read not because of any inherent complexity in the subject, but instead because of poor writing and/or fallacious logical leaps. At any rate, the figures are usually the most illuminating - they allow you to draw your own conclusions. If you focus on those when reading a paper that doesn't seem to make much sense, you should be able to get a better grasp of what's actually going on.

At any rate, reading biochem and biophysics papers still takes me a long time, but over the years I've gotten better at finding the purpose and the interesting results nestled away deep in those bad boys.

 

[e_phn]

At any rate, reading biochem and biophysics papers still takes me a long time.

same here. sometimes it takes me days to understand biochem or biophysics articles.
of course, i analyze also, so it takes me longer.

 

[e_phn]

..

 

[e_phn]

anyone read the new scientific american issue? what's on the cover(the topics) this time?

 

[relentless11]

For those who can't read journal articles very well: get used to it. It's called verbal reasoning, and it's a section on the MCAT.

No not neccessarily. I would've given an arm and leg if the VR section WERE ALL JOURNAL articles...specifically science articles. But that is not the case. In fact when I took the MCAT back in the day, I had 1 science passage..lol.

 

[kevster2001]

that's the most uncool pasttime ever

 

[45408]

It's a learning curve. I started out at a psych lab wondering what any of the articles were talking about, and by the time I left two years later, I was reading methods sections and thinking "Why would you do it that way? That leaves room for error...."

 

[bioboy2007]

It's a learning curve. I started out at a psych lab wondering what any of the articles were talking about, and by the time I left two years later, I was reading methods sections and thinking "Why would you do it that way? That leaves room for error...."

I agree. "Practice makes perfect." "The more you read, the more you know."

- I love cliches!

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

Hear hear!

Have a special needs child and then get back to me on this one. My "******" son is a better person than any of you jerks will ever be. This is why parents of sick kids hate most doctors! Go become an investment banker.

 

[relentless11]

Have a special needs child and then get back to me on this one. My "******" son is a better person than any of you jerks will ever be. This is why parents of sick kids hate most doctors! Go become an investment banker.

I can sympathize with your feelings on this matter, however I don't think it calls for any personal attacks. The OP was just expressing his/her frustration in regards to reading journal articles. As adults, I think it is far better to ignore trivial things that are sometimes encounted on these forums (and the internet) and move on.

The context of this thread is to vent frustration about the long and slow process behind reading challenging science articles. Again, I can see why you are offended, but there are many other terms that can be seen as offensive to various kinds of people, but to be PC about everything and anything is a waste of time, especially considering this is an internet forum.

On a side note, why is becoming an investment banker a bad thing?

 

[Em1]

To echo others, it DOES get easier with practice. It used to take me forever to get through a typical JBC article, now it doesn't take me very long, depending on how much detail I'm trying to retain. I also recommend reading review articles on the topics you're interested in.

I didn't get really good at reading articles until after I had to present a paper to my lab group at a meeting. Putting a short presentation together on the paper really makes you think about what the main points are.