On reading papers properly

A second sample post, mostly here so the archive page, the tag filter, and the previous/next links have something to point at.

The three-pass approach

1. First pass — title, abstract, headings, conclusion. Five minutes. Decide whether there’s a second pass.
2. Second pass — figures, tables, and the results. Twenty minutes.
3. Third pass — reconstruct the work. An hour or more, and only for papers you actually need to build on.

Most papers deserve one pass. Very few deserve three, and knowing which is the skill worth developing.