4 ms·

Any have any tips for getting started on reading a paper? It’s like reading something in a different language.

HenryR 5y ago
This might be useful: https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPaper.pdf https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPape... If you find there is just too much unfamiliar technical language, it’s a good idea to pause and look up a definition. You might need to follow that chain several steps, but that will help you get to an understanding of new terms.
mellavora 5y ago
Plan on reading it 4-5 times. The first time it is going to be a whole bunch of new words/concepts -- "a different language" as you put it. Only read the introduction. The first reading is to inventory the words, where they are used, and how important they are. Don't try to understand except in the most vague of ways. The second time you can start to make some sense out of it because hopefully you think you might understand 1/3- 1/2 of the words. Now look up some definitions. Google might help, otherwise the difficult word(s) might be cited, in which case you need to read the abstract of the relevant paper (only enough to get a definition of what the word might mean). The third time you read it, you should know 1/2 to 2/3rds of the words and be able to make good connections between them, you start to see the ideas take shape. The fourth read you fill in the gaps from the outline you made in the third read. If the paper is well written, the introduction lays out the relevant current thought on the topic, and suggests a way by which some conflict in this thought can be resolved. The discussion presents that resolution.
zeeshanlakhani 5y ago
This Sean Cribbs talk, The Refreshingly Rewarding Realm of Research Papers, also has a ton of good thoughts on the process of getting started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRx5Wo3xYA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRx5Wo3xYA.
pramodbiligiri 5y ago
The 3-pass approach mentioned in the Stanford page linked in a sibling comment is a good way to start. It's also worth knowing why you want to read a particular paper. They're usually written for communicating tersely with people "already-in-the-know" so you shouldn't expect to get much out of most papers you come across. Murat Demirbas a prof at SUNY Buffalo has described his method - http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-read-research-paper.html http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-read-research...

This might be useful: https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPaper.pdf https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPape... If you find there is just too much unfamiliar technical language, it’s a good idea to pause and look up a definition. You might need to follow that chain several steps, but that will help you get to an understanding of new terms.

mellavora 5y ago

Plan on reading it 4-5 times. The first time it is going to be a whole bunch of new words/concepts -- "a different language" as you put it. Only read the introduction. The first reading is to inventory the words, where they are used, and how important they are. Don't try to understand except in the most vague of ways. The second time you can start to make some sense out of it because hopefully you think you might understand 1/3- 1/2 of the words. Now look up some definitions. Google might help, otherwise the difficult word(s) might be cited, in which case you need to read the abstract of the relevant paper (only enough to get a definition of what the word might mean). The third time you read it, you should know 1/2 to 2/3rds of the words and be able to make good connections between them, you start to see the ideas take shape. The fourth read you fill in the gaps from the outline you made in the third read. If the paper is well written, the introduction lays out the relevant current thought on the topic, and suggests a way by which some conflict in this thought can be resolved. The discussion presents that resolution.

zeeshanlakhani 5y ago

This Sean Cribbs talk, The Refreshingly Rewarding Realm of Research Papers, also has a ton of good thoughts on the process of getting started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRx5Wo3xYA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRx5Wo3xYA.

pramodbiligiri 5y ago

The 3-pass approach mentioned in the Stanford page linked in a sibling comment is a good way to start. It's also worth knowing why you want to read a particular paper. They're usually written for communicating tersely with people "already-in-the-know" so you shouldn't expect to get much out of most papers you come across. Murat Demirbas a prof at SUNY Buffalo has described his method - http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-read-research-paper.html http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-read-research...