Research Article

Student Worksheet: Analyzing a Article

Your name: Date:

Article title (and source): Tea and Health: Studies in Humans : V. TEA AND ARTHRITIS (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4055352/)

Step 1. What is the purpose/hypothesis/aim/objective of the article?

a. Write down a statement that describes what they

were discussing. (Hint: This information may be

provided in the article as a purpose statement or as

a hypothesis). Include quotation marks around the

exact wording.

“those who drank tea had greater bone mineral

density than those who did not drink tea”

b. Now describe the purpose of the study(s)

discussed (as you understand it) in your own

words. No need to go into specifics

The study was to show whether or not coffee, tea, and

caffeinated drinks were at a higher/lower risk for

rheumatoid arthritis. It was also to show whether

drinking tea and coffee decaffeinated was more/less

ricky.

c. What are researchers trying to discover through

their study? In other words, what is the big

question they are trying to answer?

Does caffeinated drinks have an affect on rheumatoid

arthritis?

Step 2. What is/are the major finding(s) of the study cited?

a. Make some notes about the researchers’ major

conclusions or findings as written in the article.

Include quotation marks whenever you use their

exact wording.

Data was received from women who drank

caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks.

“In contrast, women consuming more than or equal to

3 cups/day of tea displayed a decreased risk of

rheumatoid arthritis compared with women who never

drank tea, while caffeinated coffee and daily caffeine

intake were not associated with the development of

rheumatoid arthritis.”

b. Now write those conclusions (as you

understand them) in your own words.

Woman who drank decaffeinated drinks were at a

higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis than those who

drank 3-4 cups of regular tea, coffee, and other

caffeinated drinks.

Step 3. How did the authors test their hypothesis?

a. Briefly summarize the main steps or

measurements that the authors used in their

methods. Try to explain in your own words as

much as possible.

The hypothesis was “those who drank tea had greater

bone mineral density than those who did not drink

tea.” The author shows that a bunch of women were

tested to test this hypothesis. First, they tested woman

that drank caffeinated drinks and saw that they were at

a lower rick of rheumatoid arthritis. Next, they tested

women who had little to no caffeinated drinks and saw

that they were at a higher risk for the disease.

b. Do the authors suggest any problems or

limitations with their methodology? Do you see any

problems or limitations with their methodology?

The authors did not see any problems. They tested

their hypothesis with the given population and it was

shown that they were correct. I didn’t see any

problems with their study because they tested both

woman that drank caffeinated drinks along with

women that did not drink caffeinated drinks or

decaffeinated drinks.

(Here’s the time to be nitpicky! No need to hold

back.)

c. How did the authors analyze their data? They analyzed it based on the results of whether the

women were at a higher/lower risk depending on their

choice or caffeinated/decaffeinated drinks.

(There should be specific test names/methods)