The average academic paper is about 12-14 pages including citations. So on average probably 50 pages an hour. With practice, that's entirely reasonable. With

The average academic paper is about 12-14 pages including citations. So on average probably 50 pages an hour. With practice, that's entirely reasonable. Without practice it's a lot. Reading technical literature is a skill that develops over time. At first it goes slow. Then it gets normal. At first it might take an hour to read a 12 page paper. After a few months, fifteen minutes becomes enough to read a paper and make a cup of coffee.