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How to (seriously) read a scientific paper

Do you ever feel overwhelmed reading papers, and how do you deal with that?

All the time. If the paper is relevant to a problem I am trying to solve, you can be sure that there are key things in the paper that I do not understand. That confusion is not a threat; it is an opportunity. I am ignorant (无知的；愚昧的); I need to become less ignorant. This paper may help me.

Simultaneously (同时地), some papers are written terribly and are not worth the effort. Someone else has surely written about the concepts more clearly so that I can keep my confusion focused on understanding substance rather than poor grammar.
- Nosek

I especially get overwhelmed if it’s not in my subfield, if it’s long, and if it’s full of technical jargon. When this happens, I break it down into chunks and will read it over the course of a few days, if possible. For really difficult papers, it also helps to sit down and work through it with a colleague.
- Shanahan

Yes, many times. This is why I developed my own reading strategies, by talking to other scientists and by trial and error (反复试验，不断摸索). I also have thrown up my hands in frustration (挫折，失败) and tossed (扔) the offending (令人不快的) papers away, never to read them again.
- Boehnke

Yes, and in these cases you have to realize that some papers are the result of years of work by dozens of scientists. Expecting to digest and understand everything in it in one afternoon is a far-fetched (牵强附会的, 不靠谱的) idea.
- Borniger

I have often felt overwhelmed! But certain sections might not need as deep an understanding as others. You also need to know your own limits: Are there some parts of the paper that you would like to emulate but are not part of your expertise and might become “accessible” through collaborations?
- Tubiana

If I feel the paper is very important to what I’m doing, I’ll leave it a while and go back to it again a couple of times. But if it’s too overwhelming, then I have to leave it aside, unless someone among the colleagues I have contacted has been able to interpret it.
- McDowell

See you tomorrow