Reading Journal Articles for Comprehension Using Key Sentences: An Exercise for the Novice Research Student

We have incorporated an active-learning assignment, Reading Papers Using Key Sentences, in an upper-level Introduction to Chemical Research course. Although key sentences are typically used to help authors write with clarity and organization, we have found that this assignment helps students improve upon and practice reading journal articles for comprehension. A recent survey of the Fall 2011 class shows that on a scale of 1-5 (1 = not at all; 3 = somewhat; 5 = very much), students found that the key sentence assignment helped them to identify key words and concepts, understand the author's point, and evaluate information. Students have reported that the exercise helped them to prepare slides for their final oral presentation; we have also observed improvement in their average grades on the midterm reading assignment exam since we started doing the key sentence assignment in the Fall of 2010.