How to Read Research Papers in English: Abstract, Methods, Results, and Discussion

A research article is not meant to be read like a novel from the first word to the last. Its sections answer different questions.

Abstract: Is this paper worth your time?

Identify the problem, method, main result, and claimed implication. Do not stop at unfamiliar vocabulary; ask whether the study is relevant to your purpose.

Methods: What exactly was done?

Read selectively but carefully enough to judge design, participants/data, measures, and procedure. A result is difficult to evaluate without knowing how it was produced.

Results: What does the evidence show?

Separate reported findings from explanation. Tables and figures may communicate the pattern more efficiently than the surrounding prose. The language in Describing Data and Trends helps decode this section.

Discussion: What interpretation is being argued?

This is where authors relate findings to prior work, acknowledge limitations, and make claims of varying strength. Apply critical reading and notice hedging.

Three-pass method: relevance pass, structure pass, evidence pass. The aim is not to understand every word; it is to understand what the study did, found, and can reasonably claim.