As far as research articles go, what I've noticed is that I never finish them on the first read. And I don't think anyone should expect to. Too often I see stud

As far as research articles go, what I've noticed is that I never finish them on the first read. And I don't think anyone should expect to. Too often I see students start reading articles, getting lost after a page and just giving up. It's perfectly normal to stop understanding after a while and putting the article down. What you need to realize is that it takes time for your brain to process new abstract concepts. Give your mind some time to digest these new concepts. Put the article down and think about it on your off time in the following days. Then pick the article again and see if the part you already read looks more trivial and if you're able to go further this time around. Most of the time, you will. Repeat. There is no shame in taking multiple reads and months in order to read a research paper: keep in mind that it took the author(s) years to reach the level of expertise they are showing in that article. Cut yourself some slack. But don't give up on the first try.