Critical read of a research paper
Separates what a study claims from what its evidence supports, with page-referenced quotes.
Read the paper below and help me decide how much weight to put on it. My background: [YOUR FIELD AND LEVEL] Why I'm reading it: [WHAT YOU WANT TO USE IT FOR] <paper> [PASTE TEXT OR ATTACH PDF] </paper> Answer in this structure: 1. Claim — what the authors say they found, in three plain-language sentences. 2. Evidence — the study design; the sample (size, who or what, how selected); what was measured and how; the main comparison. Quote effect sizes and uncertainty intervals as reported, with the page or section where each appears. 3. Does the evidence support the claim? Check for: a headline claim stronger than the results; correlation presented as causation; multiple comparisons or flexible analysis choices; missing controls; short follow-up; generalising beyond the sample; conflicts of interest or funding. 4. What the paper does not show — the tempting conclusions it cannot support. 5. Verdict for my purpose — how far I can rely on it, and the two things I should read or check next. Rules: quote, or point to the section, for anything you attribute to the paper. If something is not reported, write "not reported"; do not infer it. Keep the critique proportionate by separating fatal flaws from the ordinary limitations every study has. Work from the text provided, not from anything you remember about this paper.