Seven steps for critically analysing research papers

Deconstructing papers systematically is an essential skill that allows you to critique authors’ arguments, verify their data and form your own conclusions. Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock Reading a primary-research paper can feel like trying to decipher an ancient text, or at least it has in my career. From a foundation in biomedical science and medicine, I am now a trainee in paediatrics working towards a PhD in pathology at the University of Cambridge, UK. …