How to select and read a paper

Sir David Goldberg

Institute of Psychiatry

King’s College, London

Course for Young Psychiatrists

Addis Ababa, 27th. April 2006

How are you reading?

1. Filling up a spare moment?

- do it how you like

2. To gather material for a talk?

- take notes, but of vital points only

- accompany these with brief reference

eg Sartorius et al, European Psych

1998, 24, 342 - 354

How are you reading?

3. To gather material for a thesis or paper?

- write fuller notes

- who are the patients?

- include any verbatim quotes

- jot down any problems with paper

- full reference, all authors + initials, full title

How do you decide what to read?

choose a journal, look through it

regularly

required reading, reading lists

recommendations from teachers & friends

following a key article: Citation Index

Computer searching: Medline, Psychlit

Computer searching

only languages that you speak!

recent years

more careful syntax: “brain imaging

and schizophrenia or bipolar illness”

only get abstracts for first search

LIMIT YOUR SEARCH

Start with the summary or Abstract:

Can you tell what the paper is about?

- is there a clear AIM?

- are the conclusions interesting?

- if YES, then skim read the paper

- if NO, why read on?

In basic science, ask 3 questions1. Do the conclusions follow from the

results?

2. If not, what conclusions do?

3. What experiment should be done next?

- also, do I respect the author?

In psychiatry, these questions are insufficient:1. Do the patients studied represent the

larger population of such patients? (if they do not, what bias?)

2. Is the sample large enough to show up an effect if there is one there? (power)

3. Are the measuring instruments appropriate to the task?

4. Have the correct calculations been carried out?

Only then:

5. Do the conclusions follow from the results?

6. If not, what conclusions DO?

7. What are the implications of this work, either for the way the clinical service is organised, or for the way in which patients are treated?

and, do I respect the author?

To answer all these, you’re going to need to read the whole paper thoroughly!Pay attention to:

The end of the introduction, where you should find the aim

The Method, the Measures used, and the Results

- don’t bother with the rest of the introduction, or the discussion, unless you are happy with the above!

How to select a book

Not really a problem.

Don’t read any, unless your teachers ask you to.

A standard textbook may be helpful.

Ideally, find one that suits you, and that you find readable.

(Speaking for myself, I think about what I am reading, but do not make notes when reading books)