Scientists publish their discoveries in academic journals.  Academic articles are peer reviewed which means they are read and approved by other scientists before they are published.  This is important because it means experts have reviewed the experimental methods, the evidence obtained, and the conclusions the writer has reached.  While this does not absolutely assure the conclusion is true, it helps make science more accurate and opens the door for debate and affirmation by the scientific community.

Reading a good scientific article can be interesting and enlightening.  Unfortunately, many papers use so many big words that they seem unreadable.  Beware also of scientific writing that spends most of the paper defending perceived criticism, such that any discovery becomes an afterthought rather than the point of the article.  Papers written in these styles tend to be ignored, even though they might contain valuable information.

But don’t be intimidated – many classically written academic papers are surprisingly easy to follow and contain enlightening and inspiring work.  It is exciting to read the first scientific article announcing a monumental discovery that can save lives.  We present very readable articles, beginning with Karl Landsteiner’s announcement of the discovery of blood groups (that led to blood transfusions) and Frederick Banting’s paper breaking the news of the wonders of insulin (giving life to diabetics).