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How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

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How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#1

Post by shivajikobardan »

I can read less text content easily. my way of reading it is to make slides of all those texts and learn from the slides.

But I have issue with reading huge huge texts as you know in this case it will require too much time when I do this. Is there way to simplify this reading style?

eg-: of sth that I want to read is this.

https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.c...

It takes me 45 minutes to read 3 paragraph and comprehend it at least.

If I go that way, you can imagine, how long it takes me to read a research paper. Probably a week to read a research paper lol. Even reading articles in internet is a hassle for me if they are longer. If I just read what I need to learn it is easy as it will be few paragraphs but if I have to learn sth else long it is pain to me as I can't do it timely manner.

Are there any udemy courses that teach how to read textbooks for university students that you are aware of?

Re: How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#2

Post by pizza »

Leave your phone at home, print out the material if it’s not already on paper, and go to a library. Also bring a notebook and pen for scaffolding your understanding on paper. Make sure you have nothing you need to do afterwards or that you block out 2x the amount of time you think it will take, so there is no time pressure or need for you to be thinking about the other tasks you will need to get to. When you need to take a break, take it.

And if it doesn’t work out that particular day, that’s fine too. Don’t beat yourself up over it or try to force it. Just re-attempt pretty soon, like “later in the same day” soon, or “the following morning” soon- the key to more steady and fluid accomplishments of lots of little tasks is winnowing down the timeframe for little feedback loops.

tl;dr: you already know everything you think you need to do it :)

Re: How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#4

Post by dangom »

One should understand that not all processes in life take 45 minutes. Learning meaningful content is like going to the gym or playing the piano - you cannot expect to see any meaningful results in a day. You'll have to put in the work for a very long time, but you'll get better at it as you go.

Analogy aside, not all text is written to be read in a 45 min session. Set your mind that reading and absorbing content from a text book can take anywhere between 3 months to 3 years. Some concepts may take decades to really click in your mind. Luckily, the content in text books is usually broken down in chapters and sections for you, so consider each of those a "less text" content, and read "less text" every day. Set a goal of understanding a single section or chapter per day/week. At the end of a year you'll have read "long text" without ever reading much in a single reading session.

Research papers can be read in anywhere from minutes to a couple weeks. But if you are new to the field, you may have to read them over and over, and that time can extend to months until you understand the implications of what is written.

Don't rush it.

Re: How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#5

Post by imedadel »

Here's what I do: I start reading from the last paragraph.

I can barely get myself to read anything long, even exams! Somehow, starting from the last paragraph, and sometimes even the last sentence, and going back, makes me actually read the text. This also worked with research papers (conclusion -> 1st paragraph). Maybe give it a try?

Re: How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#7

Post by hprotagonist »

https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPape...

Keshav knows what’s up.

I tend to read the abstract, figures and captions, conclusion. Then i know if it’s worth really reading it, at which point i print it out and break out a pen.

if it’s really REALLY worth reading, ipython usually comes out to play, too

Re: How to read research paper, textbook, long text content?

#8

Post by mesaframe »

Is that an issue with willpower or concentration?

I think it's the latter. I would suggest you to do some meditation.

Throwing an arrow in the air but it might be the case that your mind is wandering too much when you start reading. Doing some concentration practice will help.

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