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How to Read

Yes, I know you know how to read.

These guides are about reading research papers -- and, just as importantly, setting up the tools around that reading so you can:

  • keep track of what you have and have not read;
  • build a clean library of references that you can export to BibTeX;
  • keep your notes in one place; and
  • gradually build a map of the papers, methods and ideas in your research area.

If your current system is a Downloads folder full of files called things like robotics-paper.pdf and to-read-later.pdf, we can do better.

Set up the tools before you start

I always believe that setting up your tools is an unskippable part of starting any real work. It can feel like you are delaying the actual reading, but a small amount of setup now will save you a lot of confusion later.

Do not try to hit a nail with a wrench. Go and find a hammer.

For reading papers, this is the basic toolchain I recommend:

  1. Set up Zotero. This is where you will save papers, organise references, store PDFs and build your BibTeX library. Install the Browser Connector as well -- the connector is the part that makes saving papers painless.
  2. Set up access through the UTS Library. Many papers that appear to be behind a paywall are already available through the university. Zotero's proxy support can remember the UTS route for supported publisher sites. I cover this as part of the Zotero setup.
  3. Set up Obsidian. Zotero keeps the paper; Obsidian keeps what you think about it. I like Markdown because it is simple, portable and still looks nice enough to use every day.
  4. Start finding papers. Begin with Google Scholar, then follow citations and use tools such as ResearchRabbit to explore the network around useful papers.
  5. Read papers in passes. You do not need to read every paper from beginning to end. Work out whether it is relevant first, then decide how deeply it deserves to be read.
  6. Turn the notes into a literature review. Once you have several useful papers, compare them by idea, method, evidence and limitation rather than writing a separate book report for each one.

TLDR

Zotero is your reference library.

Obsidian is your second brain.

ResearchRabbit helps you wander through the literature without turning that wandering into a pile of unorganised browser tabs.

Note

These are the tools I recommend because they fit my workflow. If you already have another system that is organised, searchable, backed up and easy to export, you do not need to replace it just to copy me.

Start here

Set up Zotero and the browser connector first.