How to Critically Read the Scientific Research Literature gives students, educators, and researchers a structured, repeatable framework for reading and evaluating scientific papers with confidence. Its premise is simple but powerful: every research article, in any discipline, is an argument built from five elements: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning, Implications, and Context. CERIC turns the daunting task of reading a dense paper into a focused “hunt-and-seek”: locate each element, then assess how well they hold together. Readers learn to identify and evaluate claims and evidence, spot gaps in reasoning, weigh implications, situate work in its context, and then articulate their judgments through literature critiques and presentations.

About the authors:

Genevive Bjorn, Ed.D., directs the nonprofit Higher Learning Lab and holds a doctorate from Johns Hopkins.

Adam J. Burgasser, PhD, is Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC San Diego, where he investigates the coldest stars and exoplanets.