Posted: Oct 22, 2010 5:32 pm
Darwinsbulldog wrote:Hmmm..., a vital part of critical thinking is loading up the brain with relevant information on the topic. The best way to get information is from original research and the papers that present that information. I think I will write a little piece on how to read scientific papers. We all know that there is a "literature" [cough!] of pseudo-scientific clap-trap, and so being able to tell the difference is vital.
You are absolutely correct, academic reading skills are a part of a critical thinker's necessary toolbox. I would love to collaborate on this part, but preferably by proofreading / commenting around Winter Solstice, because I'm going to be super-busy until then.
Do check out the contents and literature list of the handouts I put together when I taught scientific writing in English in a whole semester paper-writing seminar format 2002-2005, some of that stuff should be useful (though unfortunately very little of what I used then was from online sources - the handouts were traditional paper copies). There was even a little bit about reading there, in the "beginning" part.
Full source listing is at the end of this page: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... /Handouts/
1. Basic concepts about SciWri: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... cture.html
2. How to begin (includes how to find literature and read it): http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... nning.html
3. The parts of a scientific/scholarly article: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... tails.html
4. Writing, presenting, and reviewing well: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... nuing.html
5. Good scientific/scholarly English: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... guage.html
6. LaTeX & BibTeX: http://www.tml.tkk.fi/Opinnot/Guides/T- ... ormat.html