How to Read and Interpret a Scientific Article: A Short Note

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to clinical practice that uses information that is validated using scientific methods. As such information is disseminated through scientific articles, clinicians should be able to efficiently read and interpret them. This article presents the reader with the principles of critical reading and analysis of scientific articles. This includes the fundamentals of study design, article structure, statistical analysis, sources of error, and study limitations. Readers need fundamental knowledge for the accurate selection and interpretation of scientific articles, without the need for extensive methodological knowledge.