Every card uses the same fixed, made-up example. It does not describe a real paper, product result or benefit.
What the study did
Who or what was included, and what the researchers changed or saw
Keep the study setup and what the researchers saw directly separate from their explanation of why it happened.
Made-up example (not a real study): A fictional team placed a prototype filter and an ordinary filter under the same lamp for 10 minutes. This shows what they did; it does not show which filter works better in real life.
Questions for the original paper
- What material, people or records were selected, and what was excluded?
- Which conditions were controlled, changed or only observed?
- Does the paper distinguish the planned setup from something noticed afterward?
What the study measured
What changed, by how much, and compared with what
Keep the reported value, unit, comparison and uncertainty together. The difference applies only to the test conditions.
Made-up example (not a real study): In the fictional test, the sensor showed 32 units for the prototype and 40 for the ordinary filter. The made-up 8-unit difference does not prove a real-world benefit.
Questions for the original paper
- What exact outcome, unit and time point were measured?
- What comparator produced the displayed difference?
- How many measurements or repetitions were included, and how is uncertainty shown?
How the authors explain it
What the authors think may have caused the result
Separate the authors’ explanation from the values the study measured directly.
Made-up example (not a real study): The fictional authors suggest that the prototype absorbed more light. Unless absorption was measured directly, this is the authors’ explanation, not the measured 8-unit difference.
Questions for the original paper
- What measurements directly support this explanation, and what was inferred?
- Which alternative explanations does the paper test or leave open?
- Which words signal caution, such as may, suggests or is consistent with?
What might be useful later
What might be tested or used next
Find the future use or benefit the authors suggest. It still needs more evidence; the current study did not already prove it.
Made-up example (not a real study): The fictional paper says the filter could someday reduce building energy use. A 10-minute lamp-and-sensor test did not measure buildings, energy bills, durability or safety.
Questions for the original paper
- Which future population, place or use differs from the study setting?
- Which practical outcome was not measured in the current study?
- What new comparison, duration or safety test would the proposed use require?