How to Read an Article

One important first step here is to determine quickly whether and how

deeply you should read a paper. Skimming is an important skill. Start with

the title, then the abstract. Then jump to the conclusions. If you're still

interested, read the introduction, and if you need more details, only then

do you actually read the paper.

If you get to this stage, always write up your thoughts in a

summary, and keep a copy of the paper on file. The links below really do

a good job of telling you how to write such a summary. Just remember, as

you read papers in your field, you are trying to build up not only an understanding

of each paper, but also an understanding of the landscape in which they sit.

Who are the authors? Have they done groundbreaking work in this area, contributed

incremental next steps, or are they perhaps just starting out (maybe they're

still students). What about this paper? Is it groundbreaking now? Was it groundbreaking

when it was published? Why would someone want to read it?

One last point: if you are doing research, you are looking for the gaps

in the field. Every paper has a future work section that suggests possible

gaps. Have they been filled in? Do any of them spark your imagination?. You

can also think about a paper as suggesting a lense through which to view

things. If you read a paper about cscw, and are working on an ambient display

project, think about how the issues raised in the cscw paper might apply

to ambient displays. The reverse applies too of course. A lense like this

can also help to identify gaps, things that need to be explored and discussed.