Mastering Research Paper Reading

The Empowered Coder : Cohort 4

Vipul Vaibhaw
Some Initial Guidelines
Might sound obvious

Be Critical : When you're diving into a research paper, don't just take everything at face value – be a bit
skeptical!

Critical reading is the name of the game. Start by asking yourself some key questions: Are the authors
tackling the right problem? Could there be simpler solutions they missed?
Some Initial Guidelines
Might sound obvious

What about the limitations of their solution – did they lay those out clearly? And don't forget to check if
their assumptions hold water. Does their logic make sense based on what they're assuming, or is there a
glitch in their reasoning? And if they're throwing data at you, make sure they've got the right stuff – did
they gather it correctly and interpret it sensibly, or could other data tell a better story?

Being a bit of a detective when you read can really pay off!
Some Initial Guidelines
Might sound obvious

Read Creatively: Critical reading is straightforward – it's easier to find flaws than to appreciate.

Seek out the paper's bright ideas: Explore their potential beyond the paper's scope. Think about new
applications or extensions.

Ponder generalizations and broader concepts. Consider practical enhancements.

Some Initial Guidelines
Might sound obvious

Make Notes.

Summarize - After the first read-through, try to summarize the paper in one or two sentences. Almost
all good research papers try to provide an answer a specific question!
The three pass approach
Don't just read from start to finish.

Pass 1: Get the big picture.

Understand the paper's main idea.

Pass 2: Dive a bit deeper.

Grasp the content, but not all the nitty-gritty details.

Pass 3: Go all-in.

Dig deep, understand every nook and cranny.

Each pass builds on the previous, making you a paper-reading pro!

The three pass approach
First Pass

Steps:

Read title, abstract, and introduction carefully.

Scan section and subsection headings.

Read the conclusions.

Glance at the references.

The three pass approach
First Pass

Answer the "Five Cs”:

Category: Identify the paper's type (measurement, analysis, prototype, etc.).

Context: Recognize related papers and theoretical bases.

Correctness: Check if assumptions seem valid.

Contributions: Understand the main contributions.

Clarity: Assess the paper's writing quality.

Decide whether to read further based on this info. Useful for deciding if the paper is worth diving into.
The three pass approach
Second Pass

Steps:

Carefully examine figures, diagrams, and illustrations, especially graphs.

Check labels and error bars for statistical significance.

Detect common mistakes to distinguish quality work.

Note relevant unread references for future exploration.

The three pass approach
Second Pass

Goal: Understand the paper's content.

Summarize the main points with supporting evidence.

This level of detail is suitable for a paper you're interested in but not your specialty.

If you still don't get it by the end, it could be due to new concepts, unfamiliar terms, complex
techniques, or poor writing.

Choose to set it aside, return later after background reading, or seek help.
The three pass approach
Third Pass

Essential for thorough understanding, Requires meticulous attention to detail. Challenge every
assumption and consider how you'd present each idea.

Note ideas for future work.

By the end, you should: Reconstruct the paper's structure from memory.

Identify its strengths and weaknesses.

Pinpoint implicit assumptions, missing citations, and potential issues with experiments or analysis.
Write a one page review
You should!

Your one page review should include the following:

a one or two sentence summary of the paper.

a deeper, more extensive outline of the main points of the paper, including for example assumptions
made, arguments presented, data analyzed, and conclusions drawn.

any limitations or extensions you see for the ideas in the paper.

your opinion of the paper; primarily, the quality of the ideas and its potential impact.
Why?
Break Out!

As an individual

As a engineering lead
That’s all!
See you on December 2, 8:30AM IST