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Life · Guided lesson

Extract results before interpretation

About 26 minutes · 6 reading + 20 practice and checks
Time includes reading, practice, and questions. Extra videos or further study are optional.
See this course’s project requirements

An evidence folder containing a paper-type note, design map, checked results, corrected claim, two-paper comparison, and a 150–250-word evidence brief.

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Identify publication type, specific question, and scope for P1.
  • Map the design and check all rates with their denominators.
  • Correct the overclaim and compare P1 with P2.
  • Write the final brief with evidence IDs, limitations, and a useful next test.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Calculations and units match the supplied counts.
  • Design descriptions separate assignment, recruitment, and measurement.
  • Claims stay within tested populations and outcomes.
  • The synthesis preserves disagreement and labels all practice data fictional.
Open the full course project
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Before you begin

The idea in everyday life

Original fictional paper P1, “Signs and Sorting”: research question—do picture labels change sorting accuracy at one campus recycling station? Methods—40 volunteers randomly assigned to picture labels or text labels, 20 per group, one supervised session, identical items. Results—picture group 16/20 correct; text group 12/20 correct. Discussion—picture labels may help in this setting; volunteers and one session limit broader conclusions. No uncertainty interval or replication is supplied. This is a teaching example, not a published study.

The idea

Write what was observed before deciding why it happened.

Follow along

Extract results before interpretation: guided practice

Write what was observed before deciding why it happened.

Use paper or a free local text editor. This is an original fictional practice case; do not submit its records to a real service. Start this lesson with these facts, even if an earlier variation changed them. Original fictional paper P1, “Signs and Sorting”: research question—do picture labels change sorting accuracy at one campus recycling station? Methods—40 volunteers randomly assigned to picture labels or text labels, 20 per group, one supervised session, identical items. Results—picture group 16/20 correct; text group 12/20 correct. Discussion—picture labels may help in this setting; volunteers and one session limit broader conclusions. No uncertainty interval or replication is supplied. This is a teaching example, not a published study.

  1. 1. Copy the counts

    Write each correct count with its group size.

    You should see: Picture: 16 of 20; text: 12 of 20.

    Denominators prevent misleading comparison of raw counts.

  2. 2. Calculate rates

    Convert both results to percentages.

    You should see: Picture 80%; text 60%.

    Comparable rates make the size of the observed difference clear.

  3. 3. Calculate the difference

    Subtract text percentage from picture percentage.

    You should see: Observed difference: 20 percentage points.

    Percentage points describe the subtraction of two percentages.

  4. 4. Limit the sentence

    Write a result sentence without a universal causal claim.

    You should see: In this fictional sample, correct sorting was 80% with pictures and 60% with text; uncertainty is not quantified here.

    A measured difference is not a guarantee about every future setting.

Now change one thing

Changed case: 18 of 30 people succeed in group A and 15 of 30 in B. Enter the percentage-point difference.

Your work

What to finish

Extract results before interpretation record with the worked decisions and changed-case check.

Common mistake

Watch for this

Reporting raw counts without group sizes or treating an observed difference as guaranteed.

How can I tell I understand it?

Record numerical results with denominators and separate them from explanation. Explain the evidence behind the result and correct any mismatch.

Try 3 questions

Quick knowledge check

Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.

Not yet passed

You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.

1Nine of 15 succeed in A and 12 of 20 in B. Which comparison is correct?
2A result rises from 40% to 55%. What is the percentage-point change?
3A figure reports a difference but gives no uncertainty interval. What can you state?
0 of 3 answeredApply the lesson to a short question, then review the explanation.
3
Finish this lesson

Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.

Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.

Go to the knowledge check
Optional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
libncsuHow to Read a Scholarly ArticleYouTube
Optional course overview

How to Read a Scholarly Article

From libncsu. Watch here or open it on YouTube .

Optional course overview. Follow the written steps below at your own pace.
Tools, templates, and lesson sources

Tools and templates

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Sources and further reading

Explore the references behind this lesson.

Caltech: Learn to Read Scientific Journal Articles Like a Pro
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected article types, preprints, methods/results emphasis, and active reading guidance.

Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

Rice University: How to Read a Scientific Article
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12

Inspected IMRD structure, figures, active questions, and evidence appraisal.

Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.

Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.

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