How to read a research paper quickly and effectively

How to read a research paper quickly and effectively

Reading and understanding a research paper is not an easy task, sometimes, it gives you a headache and wastes too much of your time.

To understand any paper without wasting time. You have to read it in three different phases, which are: 

 Phase-1: The general idea ( 10-20 min)

 Phase-2: Grasp that the content of the paper (up to 1hr)

 Phase-3: Understand the depth of the article ( 5 to 6hr)

 Phase-1  

1. Read the title and abstract carefully. 

2. Skim the introduction.

3. Read the conclusion

After Phase-1, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1.  Category of paper: measurement/analysis/new method etc.

2. Context of the article: theoretical or experimental

3. Contribution: what are the main contributions.

4. Correctness: Do the assumptions appear to be valid?.

5. Clarity: is the paper well written?

 Now you can decide this paper is good to read or not

 Phase 2:   

1. Ignore the proofs.

2. Look carefully at the figures/graphs/diagram, etc are they adequately labeled? Are the results shown with error bars?

3. Find out the explanations of the figures.

 Now, after the Phase-2. If you were able to find any of the following:

1. You are doing similar research.

2. You are a reviewer.

3. You want to implement or recreate the same work.

4. You identified the paper innovations and hidden failing and assumptions.

 Then you can go for phase 3  

Phase-3

1. Read everything

 After the Phase-3 reading, you should be able to:

1. To reconstruct the entire structure of the paper

2. Able to identify the strong and weak points (e.g., implicit assumptions, missing citations, and potential issues with experimental or analytical techniques)

Best PDF editor for Ubuntu

There are so many PDF readers available in the market but, here I will list only best and free PDF readers for Ubuntu or any Linux System 

The list is:

1. Master PDF Editor (The best *Free pdf editor you can edit almost everything )

2. Okular ( I recommend as a permanent reader with basic features)

3. Atril Document Reader

4. Evince

5. Foxit Reader

Master PDF Editor (Linux, Windows, macOS)

*Free: The older version 4.3 is free for Ubuntu (since it is an older version so it has some bugs but it will not bother much

      You can edit almost everything you want to edit.

• Edit existing PDF text or add new text, insert images, move existing objects

• Manipulate text and objects in PDF documents

• Annotate PDF documents highlight, strikethrough or underline text, attach a file as a comment

• Add sticky notes, insert arrows, lines, and rectangles, create and add stamps, and more

• Move, insert, remove, crop or rotate

• Create, edit and remove PDF bookmarks

• Create PDF documents from scanned documents / existing files

• you can use it during a live presentation.

• and too many other features.

You can download the free older version from the given links

Link-1

 Link-2

Okular (Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, etc.)

     

• Developed by KDE

• It is a lightweight universal document viewer.

• Provides support for the installation of plugins.

• Supports documents, like PDF, Postscript, DjVu, CHM, XPS, ePub, and others.

• Supports commenting and the addition of text boxes to documents.

• Supports the addition of stamps to a document.

• It provides a magnifier and other view enhancements.

• Supports the Highlighting, and annotation.

• you can use it during a live presentation.

You can download this in ubuntu from this command

sudo apt-get install okular