Merriam-Webster defines research as:

“Investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.”

In plain language:

Research = collecting evidence, making sense of it, being willing to change old ideas, and then using what we learn to improve something in the real world.

Quick example

You wonder, “Does listening to music help me focus while I study?”
You do homework one week with music and one week without, and write down how much you get done.
You notice you finish more work and feel less bored with calm background music.
You update your belief (“music helps me”) and start using that strategy on purpose.

Now scale that up

If you carefully tracked all the details in that little “experiment” e.g. how much homework you had, what kind of music you used, the time of day, how long you studied, etc. —then 100 other people did the same thing and found the same pattern, we could say:

Under these specific conditions, music helps with studying.

That’s research: not just a hunch, but a repeatable pattern, based on evidence, that other people can test for themselves.

And where does all that info go?

Two beginner-friendly guides to reading peer-reviewed articles

Okay, so research often ends up in peer-reviewed journals.
But… how are you actually supposed to read those things without crying?

Here are two free guides that break it down.

1. “How to Read a Journal Article” – Jody Culham

This is a short, straight-to-the-point handout made for students. Writing Support 

What it helps you do:

• Start with “Why am I reading this?” instead of mindlessly slogging from page 1.

• Decide what to focus on: intro + discussion for big ideas, methods if you care about the details.

• Treat the paper like a toolbox, not a novel you have to read word-for-word.

You can think of this one as:

“The no-nonsense checklist for skimming and surviving journal articles.”

2. “How to Read a Scientific Paper – A Guide for Non-Scientists” – Jennifer Raff (hosted by Duke ARC)

This guide is written specifically for people who don’t live in research world 24/7. Arc at Duke

What it helps you do:

• Understand the parts of a paper (abstract, intro, methods, results, discussion) and what each part is actually for.

• Use a step-by-step process: skim → look up confusing terms → reread with more context.

• Stay skeptical but open: not every published paper is automatically truth.

This one is basically:

“How to read research when you’re smart and curious but not a scientist.”

So you did your little “Does music help me study?” experiment.
In real research, scientists do a much bigger, more careful version of that same thing.

And where does all that information go?

One of the main places is peer-reviewed journals.

That’s where researchers write up:

• what question they asked,

• exactly what they did,

• what they found,

• and what they think it means.

Before it’s published, other experts read it first (this is the “peer review” part). They check if the methods make sense, if the stats are legit, and if the conclusions are reasonable. If not, the authors have to fix it or the journal says no.

Once it passes that filter, it becomes part of the big public record of research.

The cool part is:

• A lot of this research can be found for free through search tools and open databases.

• Even without a school login, you can still read real studies, not just TikToks and hot takes about studies.

If you made it this far… here’s your toolbox 🧰

If you made it this far, first of all: thank you for caring enough to learn how research actually works.

Here’s a short list of free online databases where you can look up solid, research-based info on pretty much anything you’re curious about:

• Google Scholar – A search engine just for research articles. Great first stop for almost any topic.

• PubMed / PubMed Central (PMC) – Huge database for medicine, health, and psychology-related research. Many full-text articles are completely free.

• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) – A giant list of peer-reviewed journals where the articles are free to read.

• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) – Focused on education, learning, schools, and programs. A lot of reports and articles are open access.

• PsyArXiv / SocArXiv / arXiv – Preprint servers where researchers share papers before they’re officially published. Good for getting cutting-edge ideas early.

You don’t have to remember all of these. The important part is just knowing:

There are places where you can read real research for free, without a PhD or a paywall.

Thank you for engaging with this project and being willing to think a little deeper about “what’s true” and why we believe it.

If you want more short, to-the-point videos breaking down research, trust, and how to fact-check your feed,
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