How to read a paper?

study › skill

Goals:

  1. general idea
  2. Content, not details(such as proofs)
  3. Read in depth

First pass

5~10 min, 决定是否继续读

  • 步骤：

    • 读标题，摘要，介绍
    • 读部分和小部分的标题，略去其他
    • 读结论
    • 瞥一眼引用，去掉读过的

  • 回答问题：5C

    • Category: What type of paper is this? A measurement paper? An analysis of an existing system? A description of a research prototype?
    • Context: Which other papers is it related to? Which theoretical bases were used to analyze the problem?
    • Correctness: Do the assumptions appear to be valid?
    • Contributions: What are the paper’s main contributions?
    • Clarity: Is the paper well written?

  • 适用类型：可能相关，不在研究氛围内

Second pass

1h

Steps:

  1. Look carefully at the figures, diagrams and other illustrations in the paper. Pay special attention to graphs.
    • Are the axes properly labeled?
    • Are results shown with error bars, so that conclusions are statistically significant?
  2. Remember to mark relevant unread references for further reading (this is a good way to learn more about the background of the paper).

回答：summarize the main thrust of the paper, with supporting evidence, to someone else

适用类型：感兴趣的，但不在研究范围之内

当仍旧看不懂这篇论文在讲啥：延后再读

Third pass

4-5 hours, virtually re-implement the paper

  • making the same assumptions as the authors: identify and challenge every assumption in every statement
  • recreate the work: think about how you yourself would present a particular idea.
  • By comparing this re-creation with the actual paper, you can easily identify not only a paper’s innovations, but also its hidden failings and assumptions.