How to read a scientific paper effectively? by Haoxue Yan https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir Post your response to the discussion topic by clicking the plus button below. en-us 2025-06-24 17:21:21 UTC 2025-06-24 20:23:30 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855357 Written in an easy to understand manner

]]> 2025-06-24 20:18:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855357 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855569 High impact factor

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:10 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855569 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855606 read the abstract first

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:16 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855606 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855645 Straightforward

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:22 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855645 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855665 Relevant graphics that support claims

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:26 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855665 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855688 Search the term up on Wikipedia and then skim that article

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:30 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855688 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855696 read abstract, intro, conclusion first to see if it has relevant info for whatever i need then dive into the full thing

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855696 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855697 a clear abstract with brief summaries of their question, method & results found

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855697 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855702 Starts with a clear and easy to understand abstract

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:32 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855702 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855715 Find other sources covering it

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:34 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855715 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855759 Structured and organized, clear, engaging

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:40 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855759 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855783 Good organization of content

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:44 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855783 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855837 Take a break

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855837 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855882 start with abstract + figures

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:54 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855882 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855894 look at the abstract

]]> 2025-06-24 20:19:54 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855894 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855926 Doesn't use excessive jargon in a way that is hard to understand.

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:00 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855926 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855950 Look at the pictures

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855950 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855953 Read abstract, look at figures, scan thru rest of paper


]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:05 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500855953 ryannzlam https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856033 I love when an article is divided easily into subsections for example the discussion and methods etc

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:18 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856033 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856062 Clearly organized sections, with an introduction that clarifies the hypothesis and its potential impact, a thorough methods and results section that provides the evidence and how it was obtained, and a discussion that highlights the important trends seen in the data and how that can be used in the future

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856062 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856063 Try looking at figures first instead of dense text

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856063 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856084 Typically, I will search up sources that cover the same topic, but might be simpler or easier to understand

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:29 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856084 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856085 read the abstract and results/conclusion to get a sense of what the paper is trying to say

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:29 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856085 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856092 identify key terms/concepts and further research those to get more context, then revisit the confusing stuff

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856092 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856093 Read abstract first, then intro and conclusion/discussion for a broad understanding, followed by the methods/results section including figures to understand more in detail. Sometimes it’s also helpful to check supp info if you’re replicating a procedure

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856093 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856095 Read abstract, then intro and lastly conclusion

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:31 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856095 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856104 Abstract and intro then skip to sections of interest

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:34 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856104 eowyn123 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856107 Start with abstract

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:34 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856107 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856114 Google AI gives a good explanation when you say “What does it mean by [paste statement you don’t understand]”

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:35 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856114 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856136 Look it up on wikipedia

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:39 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856136 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856176 Section the paper and go through each at your own pace

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856176 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856183 Look it up, or if it’s about something that if cited, read the corresponding source in citations to get more details

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:48 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856183 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856201 Google it or see if it has a citation and explore from there.

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:51 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856201 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856241 Usually it’s about missing definitions, so jargon/techniques that I don’t know rather than an insanely complicated concept. In that case Google/ChatGPT are good friends

]]> 2025-06-24 20:20:59 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856241 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856255 ChatGPT

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:02 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856255 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856272 logical flow of ideas leading to a conclusion

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856272 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856298 Read the abstract first to get a general overview. Introduction gives a general overview of the field and significance of the study. Focus on the methods used and results to see how tests were run and what they yielded.

Conclusion will make hypotheses or statements based on results

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:09 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856298 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856316 I watch youtube videos first to understand more

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:14 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856316 ryannzlam https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856328 Abstract then conclusion then if I only want to look at the results I look at the figures.

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:16 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856328 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856340 search up other sources online / use images

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:18 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856340 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856348 Find key words and parts that i definitely understand and work out from that

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:20 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856348 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856367 Yes, I like to pace myself and take time to digest what I'm reading before moving on.

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:23 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856367 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856481 Watch a lot of videos and simulations and pictures then read and highlight

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:41 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856481 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856498 Do not go citation chasing

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:44 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856498 eowyn123 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856500 Google, or look at other cited papers

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:45 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856500 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856504 Clear abstract

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:45 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856504 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856516 Highlighting and annotating

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856516 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856526 For sure — break the reading into smaller time chunks to digest

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:50 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856526 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856536 look at others papers the paper cites to get a better idea of what is going on

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856536 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856537 i like to have a mindmap of where i’m at in the litreview stage. so i can take a step back and continue to expand specific areas I want to explore and some I’ve decided to stop on. That way I have a page of all research papers I’ve covered

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856537 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856549 Go back if I need to clarify (if I forgot an abbreviation or if I’m not following the conclusions being drawn)

]]> 2025-06-24 20:21:54 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856549 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856589 When it’s self-contained (I don’t need to be a complete expert on the field to read it)

]]> 2025-06-24 20:22:02 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856589 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856595 Go through and read the first few sentences of paragraphs, or read the titles to get a summary/sense of what the paper is about before going through in more depth

]]> 2025-06-24 20:22:02 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856595 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856677 pause and skim the whole thing (or skip ahead a bit) to build momentum again, then go back to the hard part now that it’s in a broader context

]]> 2025-06-24 20:22:14 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856677 https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856709 some AI tools like Perplexity can give areas you might not find with just manual searching

]]> 2025-06-24 20:22:21 UTC https://padlet.com/Stanford_MatSci/5remmufkwavfufir/wish/3500856709