Reading medical articles critically. What they do not teach you in medical school

Abstract

The article aims to distinguish between the various types of research published in medical journals; illustrate the anatomy of a scientific article in primary research and provide a guideline on how to read journal articles critically in order to maximize the readers understanding of the medical literature. Additionally, it provides a framework for things to consider when reading articles in various fields of research. It also enables non-experts at all levels to recognize strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiologic study designs. To achieve these goals, the hierarchy of medical journals is explained and highlighted, the various research designs used in the medical literature are identified and examined; the basic structure of a scientific paper is illustrated and reviewed; guidelines for reading medical articles in general are presented; and things to consider when reading articles published in the various fields of research are summarized.