ysk1 Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Is reading publications supposed to be a fun activity? In preparation for NSERC this summer, I'm reading some papers, but they are not really fun. Any tips on getting the most out of reading publications and possibly making this activity more enjoyable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superking25 Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Become crazy? In prepping for an NSERC or prepping to do research in a new field, reading papers can't really be fun. I did a USRA last year, and reading papers at the beginning was lame, but once I was into the research, and familiar with the field, reading papers became more relevant to what I was doing, so it was more interesting. I got no tips, just suck it up for now and it should get better, assuming you enjoy what you're doing your NSERC on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=983 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest begaster Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 You get a feel for it after the first dozen or so, especially when you gain the necessary background to better understand the field. At that point, papers will start to make sense as you integrate your knowledge with what they're doing. You'll be able to start skimming and finding the pertinent parts at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallinar Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 Is reading publications supposed to be a fun activity?In preparation for NSERC this summer, I'm reading some papers, but they are not really fun. Any tips on getting the most out of reading publications and possibly making this activity more enjoyable? i hope you like what you do... i did an NSERC in organic chem and a week after i picked i realized i made a HUGE mistake. I tired to change my selection but it was too late. It was the WORST summer of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutritional_lee Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 My NSERC summer was fun mainly due to the others I worked with. Reading studies was never much fun -- I agree with the above posters: read the abstract in order to determine if it's worth reading further. Otherwise, just pray that you're locked up with a grad student/other undergrad that's fun to work with. That's what got me through my summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daryn Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Reading papers is never fun. But it could be INTERESTING because of the topic. Once you have a topic, you would want to read all about it. I love it when I read a paper and I know the methods, references, intro etc.! Sounds funny but it's true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheena815 Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Even as someone who is very interested in science, I cannot stand reading scientific papers! Reviews are a little more user-friendly, but still not great. I appreciate the scientific method, I really do, but dear god... the style of scientific writing couldn't possibly be more dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daryn Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Actually I dont really like reading reviews because some of them are rather convoluted. And some of them omit details and dress up findings. I like reading primary papers more. (you know what's worse than reading review papers? Writing them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheena815 Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 (you know what's worse than reading review papers? Writing them) LOL, 100% agreed on that point! When I read primary papers I tend to skip straight from intro to discussion... m&m never gets so much as a glance ...and a glance is about all the results get at well, since the gist can be inferred from the discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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