一位优秀科学家谈如何高效阅读科技文献.doc

一位优秀科学家谈如何高效阅读科技文献How to read papers effectively?At the beginning of my research, I tried to read as many papers as possible and tried to get all details of paper. After several weeks I was got stuck. There are so many topics and so many problems. I did not know what I should read more and what I should focus on. In fact, I found I dont know how to do research. My most urgent problem was to learn how to read paper. Then I spent two days to learn it. I searched on the website and got lots of good advices on the topic. I appreciated all the help to me. These suggestions from different people have different emphasis. According to my understanding of those suggestions, I summarized these ideas and listed them as following to guide my ongoing research.Whenever reading, always keep in mind “know what you want, and then get it and on more”.It is better to keep up free your mind and to not get the thinking ofothers interfere your own free thinking.You need to keep up more to find out what the problems are than to read to find the solutions.The reading is necessary to know what is going on and what is possible. But reading to get the solutions does not be the way to do great research.Dont give yourself very much time. “figure out what this paper is about” within 30 minutes. Just do it, you will figure it out. Just imagine youre reviewer whose plane is landing in twenty minutes, and you have to decide whether this paper is crappy or good.Pass one: what is the point? ( 5 minutes)1. Read the title carefully and think what I will do under this title if I was the author for 5 minutes.2. Read abstract, skin section headlines, introduction and conclusion.Answer the following questions：1. What is the problem?2. What is the benefit to solve this problem?3. What have been done on the problem?4. Why are others works inadequate?5. What is the authors solution? Under what assumptions?6. Why is his/her solution better than others? Whats the limitation?Pass two: whats the evidence? (15minutes) only when you believe it deserves a carefully reading.Whenever reading the detail, always keep in mind “do not miss the big picture”. Dont assume that understanding each phrase will enable you to understand the whole idea. Answer the following questions:1. Whats the new solution?2. How does the author evaluate the solution in terms of argument or an experiment/simulation.3. Does the conclusion follow logically form the observations?4. Do I think it is true? Can I convince someone else what it is true.5. Is there any more conclusion or alternative conclusion?6. Does the conclusion still hold for some special cases?7. How should the work be followed up by the author? By myself?Pass three: make the idea you own (10 minutes)Reflect on the paper. Follow the idea back to its origin and rediscover it for yourself. Skim the paper back and forth if necessary.1. Wri