the goal of the three pass approach is to structure one’s reading of papers with specific aims on each pass. the progression is to go from shallow to deep, building understanding of the work on each pass.
first pass
get oriented to the paper. spend 5-10 minutes going through it. | read papers quickly
some strategies during this pass include reading the title, abstract and introduction. read the section headings and then the conclusion.
after this first pass you should be able to answer these questions that the author deems “the 5 C’s”:
- category - what type of paper is it
- context - what other papers does it relate to
- correctness - does it seem valid
- contributions - what are the main contributions of the work
- clarity - is the paper well written
you can decide from here to read more deeply or not
second pass
read with greater care. can take up to an hour. | read papers closely
you should be able to summarize the paper to someone else afterwards.
from here, you can decide to put the paper away, return later, or do another pass.
third pass
read diligently, and look at every detail. challenge every assumption. this can take many hours.
im not quite sure the utility of this third pass, other than if reviewing the paper, maybe presenting the paper in a journal club, or another situation where intense scrutiny and deep understanding are necessary.
🐛🌱 | how I read academic papers
references
Keshav, S. (2007). How to read a paper. ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, 37(3), 83–84. https://doi.org/10.1145/1273445.1273458