How to present a scientific research paper

Presenting a paper is much more work than reading the paper. Discussion leaders will need to be familiar with the background for the paper that we will discuss. This will likely require reading additional papers (usually some referenced in the introduction). Review articles are another resource for understanding the context of each study.

Discussion leaders should be familiar with the methods used in the study (molecular methods and statistical methods). They should be prepared to answer questions about the methods during the discussion. As many methods sections simply reference other studies, you will very likely need to read other papers to be able to explain the methods. Take careful notes, make an outline or diagram if needed.

Look up the definition of any terms that are unfamiliar.

Discussion leaders should prepare a presentation that includes the following elements:

• A summary of the background for this area of research - what are the big questions? Why is this an interesting or important area? In particular, present information from previous studies that form the basis for the current study (sometimes this involves presenting figures or results from previous studies). Discussion leaders should present the context of this research (the larger questions, the study system, anything that is important to help understand the results).
• Summarize the purpose of this study, or the hypothesis that is being tested.
• Explain the study design and the methods used in this study. You should do more than just present a list - you will need to describe what the authors did. Define any tools or terms that may be new for the class.
• Summarize the results - present each figure (and maybe some tables if needed), describe the data contained in the figures. Discuss with the class the interpretation or conclusions that we may draw from each figure. Do they agree with the authors' interpretation? Do you agree with the authors? Why or why not?
• What are some unanswered questions in this area of research?
• What is the next step in this research? What further experiments would you recommend to continue the research or to answer remaining questions?

Additional points for discussion:

• If this paper is a few years old: How influential was this paper? How controversial? Do a "cited literature" search in Web of Science to see what papers have referenced this article. How have the authors or others followed up on this research? Have other studies confirmed or refuted the results?
• If this paper is relatively new: How important do you think it will be? Does it present a new method? Does it confirm previous results? Does it challenge established thinking?

• Is this microbial ecology paper a good example of the ecology concept under discussion?
• Are ecology concepts misused or applied incorrectly in the reading?
• How well does the ecology concept apply to microbial communities? Do microbes "play by the rules"?