Well it really depends on your situation but I guess the main question to ask is: Do you possess the necessary background to read the paper? It takes a lot of g

Well it really depends on your situation but I guess the main question to ask is: Do you possess the necessary background to read the paper? It takes a lot of groundwork before you can read a paper and be confident you understood the gist of it. I personally have to sit down with pen and paper and toy with key equations, maybe take out a book or two to make sure the author and I are agreeing on specific vocabulary, or even double check symbols used which can differ from what one is used to. And keep in mind that completely novel, truly groundbreaking papers in a field are rare. Most of what I've read is iterations on very well known basic methods, a modification of this or that, some change to XYZ etc. Just keep reading. And re-reading. And...