I upvoted the parent, and I would add another important step, namely: - Compare: read similar papers (such as papers trying to solve the same problem both befo

I upvoted the parent, and I would add another important step, namely: - Compare: read similar papers (such as papers trying to solve the same problem both before and after the current paper) to get a sense of the whole space and range of methods tried to date. Also, look what later papers say about the paper under scrutiny. Finally, reflect on how the various papers found in the 'Gather' phase related to each other: do they refine each other, refute, supersede etc.?