Reading Research Papers

I am trained to evaluate research papers critically

The underlying assumption being that I read the paper thoroughly

I pick up a medical journal and find an article to my practice relevant

To read it in its entirety is my noble intent

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The abstract is promising, I continue to read

The introduction makes compelling arguments indeed

For the study rationale, the study design is simple enough

But reading through all the methodology is tough

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I reach the results section but it is too detailed

A picture is worth a thousand words, so where words have failed

To keep me interested, figures come to my rescue

A careful look at the graphs should be sufficient too

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Now comes the discussion- I have started losing my concentration

I skip through several paragraphs and get to the study limitations

The conclusion of the study I try to commit to memory

At the end of the day, that is the only information necessary

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I’ve described reading an article when my motivation is high

More often than not, I just read the abstract, I won’t lie

My dwindling attention span is capable of absorbing less and less

Reading research articles is not my cup of tea, I confess