The PhD Life Coach 3.40 How to read academic papers more quickly
Jun 9, 2025
Unlock the secrets to efficient reading in academia! Discover four key elements that can drastically shorten your reading time. Learn how to define your purpose and enhance comprehension through mindful note-taking. Gain insights into balancing immersive reading with structured goals, ensuring you stay on track. Plus, explore ways to maximize your academic experience with useful resources and connect with a community of fellow researchers. Get ready to transform your reading habits and thrive in your PhD journey!
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Read with Clear Purpose
- Identify the specific purpose of why you are reading each academic paper at that time.
- Tailor your reading depth and time based on that purpose for better efficiency and control.
Master Your Reading Time by Choosing Your Purpose First
Decide how long to spend on reading academic papers by focusing on four key elements beyond just length and complexity:
- Purpose: Know exactly why you're reading the article at this specific time, e.g., understanding methods or backing up a point.
- Centrality: Assess how crucial the article is to your work to decide depth of reading.
- Familiarity: Consider your background knowledge of the topic—less familiar means allowing more time but not necessarily full detail initially.
- Expectations: Set realistic comprehension goals for this read, knowing you can revisit later.
> Don't expect to fully understand every detail in one go; read with a purpose and time limit and return to it later as needed.
This approach lets you actively control and predict your reading time, reduces overwhelm, and improves note-taking efficiency by focusing notes only on the purpose-relevant parts.
Assess Article Centrality
- Assess how central the article is to your research to decide your reading depth.
- Read central papers thoroughly and peripheral ones more quickly.