Hi all - I'm relatively new to science. My A-levels and first degree were not in science, but I did a conversion course in psychology, scraping a Distinction.

Lack of science grounding means I felt that doing this MSc would really help the path to PhD. Obviously I read journal articles during my conversion course, but JEEPERS...

I just seem to spend so much time 'translating' the bloody things, before I can go anywhere near being able to critique them. Very slow process. Is it something that you've noticed speeding up during your studies? I ruddy hope you say yes. :p

Whoops, just seen genius responses to Squiggles' thread below, which seem pertinent to my own situation. Think I'll take that advice. Sorry for time-wasting (up)

Yup. It gets easier. You'll find that you'll get quicker the more you read papers generally, and if you're reading papers on a particular topic, you'll become quicker reading more on the same topic. You'll soon find that you can pick out the relevant information with out reading too closely, and the more you learn about a topic area the easier it will become to be critical with the work you read. Its normal to feel snowed under with it, but my advice is to read, read and read (boring, I know, but it really is the only way). If you are working in a particular field, I would recommend writing a short paragraph summary of each paper you read (with aims, what was done and to whom, and what the outcome and conclusions were). Its invaluble when you come back to writing, and saves you digging out the original papers in the first instance (saves you scanning irrelevant papers again!).

Is your MSc Psychology based (I'm in Psych)?

Good luck.

i'm in psych too. I tend to read the abstract, intro and discussion of all papers and then any that I want to look at in detail, I will then read methods and results. Easier that way!

Thanks for all your advice. It's good to know that there's hope of my speed increasing.

Yes, Bobby, on this MSc I've become more specialised - more biological/evolutionary than before. On the standard psychology degree or conversion you don't really get a bio grounding so just a few weeks ago I was sitting there copying diagrams of DNA using felt tips and making up rhymes to remember nucleotides - oh that I had done science A-levels!

Sneaks - I was just reading abstract and discussion, but then if I'm not understanding it I want to go deeper, and then I get sucked in to the whole thing. Got that beginner's worry that I'll miss something important - and this is just for a simple essay... Think I'll go your way: abstract, intro and discussion. (up)

Ogriv, Its the same for any subject!


I find some scientific papers hard to understand so its a matter of makin sum notes and googling things that you dont quite understand! It does get eaiser with time because its a gradual increase in your learning!!!

Over the last few months I have found that it gets easier. I am finally understanding all the terms which are used across journals so makes it a whole lot easier!

I agree with your points, one and all. The whole thing of being a postgrad is the willingness to get stuck in to any new subject area, while accepting it might be slow at first.

Hell, one of my lecturers spends half the lecture googling terms he doesn't understand!