Research Notes

Questions to ask when reading a paper

• From where did the author seem to draw the ideas?
• What exactly was accomplished by this piece of work?
• How does it seem to relate to other work in the field?
• What would be the reasonable next step to build upon this work?
• What ideas from related fields might be brought to bear upon this subject?
• How can these ideas help me solve my research problem?

Every week's duty

• Make a weekly trip to the library to read at least the abstracts from the premier journals in your field. Choose an article or two to read in depth and critique.
• Make a weekly investigation to find technical reports in your field, using electronic resources or libraries. Read selectively and critique.
• Attend at a research seminar or colloquium series. Listen and critique.