How to Read a Research Paper Using the Best Strategies for Effective Reading?

The world of research writing and reading stands on research papers solely, whether it would be scientific or literary papers adding something new in the fields of study. How to read a research paper in less time without missing its effectiveness is the only question lying on the minds of researchers across the globe.

It has been observed that students, while researching data for writing literature reviews or for expanding the walls of knowledge, make some mistakes that result in the wastage of time. But worry no more, because we have figured out some tips on reading papers effectively for you.

You just have to follow the tips mentioned below and experience a boost in your productivity while writing your dissertation or conference papers.

Why Do We Read Research Papers?

There are several reasons behind looking out for papers differing from person to person. However, some of the common reasons include reading for writing references in literature review to present the supporting statements in your work.

Some people use them as a source to increase their knowledge by reading papers on the blockchain, quantum computing, astrophysics, and so on, according to their interests. Staying updated with the industry’s new trends or evolutional thoughts in different fields of studies could be another reason behind skimming the journal articles.

Tips to Consider Before Reading a Research Paper

People from different walks of life, like students, professionals, scholars, and researchers, are always on the go to find some tips or the best way on how to read a research paper because reading it can be a difficult or tiring task due to its demands to think or read critically and effectively at the same time.

Here are some proven tips extracted from volumes of valuable studies, only for you to master the art of dealing with scientific or literary research papers at the same time.

• Try to Be Critical:

Do not just skim the pages as you often do while reading novels or something of less critical importance. Try to be critical in your approach, examine the content word by word, and try to be suspicious while reading facts and figures, more importantly.

Because authors can be wrong and interpret data wrongly, deal with the paper to find the solution that authors are going to present or points that can be beneficial for your study as well.

• Look Out for Content Creatively:

Make sure to look out for content creatively to highlight ideas for future research and think of the points that authors might have missed to incorporate in the current study. You also need to find the loopholes or sections that need to be improved to come up with more comprehensive data for your conference or SCI paper.

Creative reading helps you to figure out the stepping stone for your own study that you want to conduct based on the under-observation paper.

• Make Notes Simultaneously:

Making notes while reading the paper for the first time would be a nice strategy to grasp the important ideas or objectionable data present in the study, especially while making your first read-through.

Make sure to write the comments or criticisms that you have regarding the study on side notes while reading the paper. If you are thinking of jotting down everything after completing the paper, then you will most likely miss the crucial points.

Notes can be your crutches to cross the trodden path while reading the same paper after several months.

• Summarise the Paper:

After reading the introduction, literature review, data analysis, methodology, and conclusion, it’s time to jot down the gist of the whole paper in a few sentences.

Try to add the questions and answers you have got from the content in a summarising paragraph to squeeze the sea of words into a small lake.

• Try to Compare with Other Papers:

After completing the reading process, try to compare the current paper with others available. Of course, it requires a lot of experience to be a comparison expert, but what’s better than taking a start today than never?

Try to draw a comparison between the research questions and answers discussed in the IEEE paper or any other sort of paper with the competitors to get to know about the authenticity of the content.

• Write Up a One Page Review:

Write up a one-page review including your thoughts about the study in the form of a one-liner sentence, and then an outline of the main points backed with any limitations or extensions that you have identified and then a sentence about the quality of the ideas presented.

A one-page review could be a window for you to write up your own research study based on the limitations or extensions that you have found in the subject under observation.

Best Way to Read a Research Paper – Quickly and Effectively

There is no definitive method to read the research paper because it’s a kind of objective thing which usually varies from person to person. But there are some common grounds which can be equally beneficial for you whether you are reading a paper for writing a psychology or literature dissertation.

There is only one thing common among every person going to read a study, and that is curiosity about how to read it quickly and effectively to save time and yield the utmost benefits.

• Start with the Introduction, Ignore the Abstract Initially:

Many scientific or non-scientific researchers make the same mistake of starting the paper from the abstract. An abstract is supposed to be the precise summary of the whole content present in the study. It helps you decide whether to continue reading or not based on the assumption that it is beneficial for you or not.

It is a wrong practice because it may lead you to be biased towards the message of the study based on a few words only.

That’s why, to remain unbiased about the content, try to start by reading the introduction first to get a sneak peek into the core message. It helps you to decide whether to continue reading or not based on your objectives.

• Find the Problem Being Addressed:

Try to figure out the purpose behind the study, which is usually discussed in the form of research questions being addressed. Make sure to find the big problem that the author is trying to solve to understand why it is being written.

Make sure to closely analyse the evidence being presented, reflecting the agenda of the research study.

• Contextualise the Research in a Paragraph:

To be able to explain why this research has been conducted, you need to contextualise the whole idea into a paragraph of five sentences. It seems strange to you; why five sentences, not seven or ten? Because ideas available in a small paragraph are easy to remember.

• Pinpoint the Research Questions:

Try to pinpoint the research questions being introduced by the author or by yourself as well and use them as a hook to divert your complete focus on it. Find the big questions present in the study trying to solve a big problem related to the specific field of study.

• Read the Methodology Section:

Now, it is time to read the methodology section, if added to the study, to identify the research approach being implied in conducting the study, like qualitative or quantitative research methods.

To better understand the thought process behind this particular study under observation, use the same approach in your master’s dissertation, assignment writing, and so on.

• Skim through the Literature Review and Analysis:

After performing the above actions, it is the right time to skim through the literature review and data analysis quickly. But do not read each and every word of the document to assess its usability for yourself. Try to use the keywords that are beneficial for you, only to reach the relevant sections straight away.

• Check Whether the Problem is Being Solved or Not:

Go back to the big questions that you have pinpointed in the initial stage of reading a research paper and analyse whether the questions are being answered yet or not before the conclusion section. If yes, then match the questions with the possible answers already present in the content to get a holistic view of the study.

Try to form your own opinion about the specific concepts to critically read a research paper. Instead of constituting your ideas on other thoughts, try to be self-sufficient in this matter as well.

• Read the Conclusion:

Reading the conclusion or final words of a paper is the most important part of doing comprehensive reading. This section is the reflection of what the study is about and what it has contributed in pursuit of presenting the solution to the big questions highlighted in the initial sections.

• Move Back to the Abstract Section:

It is time to reach back to the abstract section that you have skipped while starting to read the paper and confirm whether the claims of the author or authors in case of more than one contributor have been proved or not.

Also, ask yourself if the results or claims made by the writer match your interpretation or not.

• Read Others Opinions About the Study:

Look out for others’ opinions about the research paper you have just read to measure the credibility of it among the experts in the field. Also, read their opinions, whether they support the ideas or not, that you must not have thought of for critical understanding.

How Long Does it Take to Read a Research Paper?

It totally depends on the length of the research paper that you are reading and your purpose for skimming it. For example, you can skim a scientific paper in less than 30 minutes, and it can take up to 3 hours or a few days as well to go through one study.

There is no defined average time to read a research paper because every paper or reader is different from one another.

How to Quickly Read a Research Paper?

This is the most frequently asked question by people looking to write custom research papers for themselves because they are usually short of time.

You can follow the tips mentioned above to conduct the whole process quickly. Otherwise, you can get help from our expert writers in every subject to save yourself from missing the submission deadline.

How to Take Notes While Reading a Research Paper?

Notes-taking is a skill that can be mastered with time and practice only. However, here are some tips for you to follow on how to take notes while reading a research paper.

Try to summarise every paragraph in a few sentences right after reading it and use them as key points while revisiting.

Conclusion

Reading a research paper can be a tiresome activity for several researchers because no one wants to spend hours scrolling through the same paper just to find the one relevant reference for their study.

That’s why you need to work smartly and learn how to read a research paper quickly and effectively to save time and yield more benefits while dealing with a paper strategically. The best way to read critically can be a saviour tactic for you to save yourself from being exhausted while reading one paper with lots of pages.

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