Unlocking Research Papers. How three passes, NotebookLM, and the… | by Shmulik Cohen | Apr, 2025

What are scientific papers and why they matter

Scientific papers are the place researchers share their discoveries with the world. Although typically written for specialists, these paperwork have repeatedly modified the course of human historical past.

Just some examples:

• Watson and Crick’s 1953 DNA construction paper (Nature) launched trendy genetics and personalised drugs
• Einstein’s 1905 particular relativity paper (Annalen der Physik) revolutionized physics and ultimately made GPS attainable
• Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2008 Bitcoin whitepaper (Bitcoin.org) launched blockchain expertise and sparked a monetary revolution

These papers could appear intimidating at first, however studying to learn them is like gaining a superpower. It offers you a front-row seat to cutting-edge concepts and improvements — typically years forward of mainstream adoption. And for landmark papers, you get to know revolutionary ideas straight from their creators.

In tech and laptop science particularly, cutting-edge analysis sometimes seems in prestigious convention proceedings fairly than conventional journals. High venues embody NeurIPS and ICML for machine studying, CVPR and ICCV for laptop imaginative and prescient, SIGGRAPH for graphics, and ACL for pure language processing.

Many researchers additionally share early variations on preprint servers like arXiv months earlier than formal publication. You’ll be able to uncover these papers by way of platforms like arXiv, PapersWithCode (for ML implementations), Google Scholar, or field-specific repositories like OpenReview and the ACM Digital Library.

What you’ll get from this put up

I’m going to share:

• My private wrestle with studying papers (and the way I overcame it)
• A sensible three-pass methodology that remodeled how I learn analysis papers
• How I exploit NotebookLM to make the method extra partaking
• Creating the proper setting for deep studying
• Three papers you possibly can apply with immediately

No tutorial jargon or fancy phrases, simply sensible recommendation from somebody who’s been by way of the frustration — and located a approach out.

My early struggles

A couple of years in the past, I accomplished my Bachelor’s diploma in Laptop Science on the Open College of Israel. All through your complete program, I solely wanted to learn two scientific papers — and the expertise was horrible.

To complete the diploma, I needed to learn and summarize two papers. I selected matters on on-line machine studying for spam filtering. With little to no information of machine studying, it took me months to get by way of them. I printed these 10–14 web page papers and carried them all over the place, rereading sections many times whereas feeling utterly misplaced and unmotivated.

In the long run, I produced a super-detailed 40-page undertaking masking machine studying fundamentals and the papers’ particular matters — however I didn’t actually study machine studying from the expertise.

What modified

Quick ahead a couple of years, and I encountered papers once more in my MSc course on Reliable Machine Studying (which I mentioned in my put up “Cracking The Black Box”). The course required studying one paper each two weeks from a curated listing and commenting on them.

However this time, three issues had been completely different:

• I had rather more information of machine studying
• I used to be launched to the Three-Move Strategy by S. Keshav
• I had AI instruments at my disposal, particularly NotebookLM

With these benefits, not solely might I learn the papers, however it grew to become considered one of my favourite elements of the course.

The place I’m right this moment

Two semesters later, I took a wonderful seminar on Deciphering Giant Language Fashions that required studying one paper weekly and taking part in discussions about them. Due to the instruments I’d acquired, this was totally manageable.

Right this moment, I might most likely learn these unique two papers in only a few hours and totally perceive them — that’s unimaginable progress! Not solely that, studying scientific papers is one thing that I do often, each for my tutorial analysis and even for writing a few of my posts (HumanEval for instance).

A part of this enchancment comes from expertise and increasing my information, which takes time and has no shortcuts. However the different strategies might be discovered and practiced immediately.

The Three-Move Strategy by S. Keshav

Studying papers successfully is a talent, and Keshav’s “Easy methods to Learn a Paper” offers us a sensible methodology to grasp it. Right here’s the way it works:

First Move: Chook’s-Eye View (5–10 minutes)

• Rigorously Learn the title, summary, and introduction
• Learn the part and sub-section headings, however ignore
  every thing else
• Learn the conclusions
• Test the references for acquainted works

After this fast scan, it is best to be capable of reply the 5 Cs:

• Class: What sort of paper is that this?
• Context: Which different papers is it associated to?
• Correctness: Do the assumptions look like legitimate?
• Contributions: What are the paper’s principal contributions?
• Readability: Is the paper nicely written?

This primary cross helps you resolve effectively whether or not to take a position extra time on this paper or transfer on.

Second Move: Comprehension (about 1 hour):

• Learn the paper with better care, however skip technical particulars like proofs
• Research the figures and graphs carefully, they typically include the paper’s core insights
• Mark unfamiliar references you may have to examine later
• Attempt to join the paper’s concepts to your current information

For those who can clarify the paper’s details to another person after this cross, you’re on monitor. If not, you both want one other cross or extra background information within the topic space.

Third Move: Deep Dive (1–5 hours)

That is the place you nearly re-implement the paper in your thoughts:

• Problem the authors’ assumptions
• Take into consideration how you’ll current the concepts
• Establish strengths and weaknesses
• Take detailed notes

This remaining cross is time-consuming however invaluable for papers straight related to your work. It sharpens your vital pondering and analysis abilities whereas supplying you with a deeper understanding of the sector.

The great thing about this method is its flexibility — use simply the primary cross when skimming many papers, the second cross for papers that appear related, and reserve the third cross for papers straight associated to your analysis or pursuits. Some papers gained’t make it previous the primary cross, and that’s okay.

Bear in mind, this method isn’t a inflexible method however fairly a scaffolding that will help you develop your personal methodology. The last word aim isn’t to finish three passes — it’s to genuinely perceive the paper and extract what’s helpful to your personal work and information.

NotebookLM — Your digital analysis assistant

As soon as I obtained the dangle of studying papers utilizing the Three-Move Strategy, I spotted the subsequent problem was managing all the data and filling in my information gaps. That’s the place NotebookLM got here in — and it utterly modified how I have interaction with analysis papers.

NotebookLM is an AI-powered instrument developed by Google, designed that will help you analyze and synthesize info from a number of sources. You’ll be able to add a number of PDFs or paste in textual content, and it means that you can work together together with your sources, ask questions, and generate summaries, Q&A, examine guides — and even my favourite characteristic: a full podcast primarily based in your sources.

One of many issues with utilizing general-purpose instruments like ChatGPT or Claude to learn papers is that analysis papers are lengthy and complicated. They require a big context window (which might max out shortly on free plans), and basic chatbots may “hallucinate” details that aren’t within the paper.

NotebookLM solves each issues by utilizing retrieval-augmented technology (RAG), which permits it to work with giant paperwork and maintain solutions extra grounded within the supply materials (although not 100%, after all).

Right here’s how I exploit NotebookLM when studying papers:

1. Add the Paper

After a first-pass scan, if a paper appears promising (or if I’ve to learn it), I add the PDF to NotebookLM. It shortly indexes the content material and prepares it for interactive exploration.

2. Generate a Podcast for the Paper
One among my favourite options is the podcast generator. I often create a podcast proper after the primary scan and take heed to it whereas doing one thing else. I don’t anticipate deep insights from it — it’s extra of a primer that helps me ease into the paper and keep engaged.

3. Speak With the Pocket book
After the podcast, I resolve whether or not I wish to dive into the paper straight or ask the pocket book a couple of questions first. NotebookLM supplies a wealthy setting: you possibly can discover summaries, examine guides, or simply ask free-form inquiries to make clear unfamiliar ideas. It’s like having a analysis buddy that’s all the time prepared to elucidate issues.

4. Generate Research Notes
I exploit it to draft bullet-point summaries, establish key contributions, and even generate potential analysis questions primarily based on what I’ve learn.

Tip: Don’t deal with NotebookLM as a substitute to your personal pondering — use it as a sparring associate. It helps you course of dense info quicker, however your vital pondering remains to be what issues most.

NotebookLM remains to be in energetic improvement, and it retains getting higher. Not too long ago, Google added a thoughts map characteristic that helps you visualize complicated concepts out of your sources, in addition to a method to mechanically collect related assets from the online to broaden your understanding. I’ve discovered each additions tremendous useful when exploring unfamiliar matters.

Utilizing NotebookLM alongside the Three-Move Strategy turned studying papers from a chore right into a genuinely gratifying — and nearly collaborative — expertise. It’s like having a digital co-pilot to your analysis journey, all the time prepared that will help you dig deeper and keep curious.

Creating the Proper Atmosphere for Deep Studying

Even with the very best strategies and instruments, your setting performs an enormous function in how nicely you possibly can focus and soak up complicated materials. Right here’s what I like to recommend earlier than diving right into a paper:

• A quiet area (espresso outlets don’t work for me)
• A pocket book (or note-taking app) for questions and ideas
• No cellphone notifications (severely, put it in one other room)
• A timer (to ensure that the passes not taking too lengthy)

Now that you just’re all arrange, let’s put every thing into motion with two extremely advisable papers you can begin training on. You need to use the Three-Move Strategy by itself or use assistance from NotebookLM.

Three Papers to Observe With

I encourage you to strive it out and share your expertise within the feedback, there isn’t a substitute to first hand expertise.

Studying analysis papers used to really feel like hitting a brick wall for me — irritating, gradual, and discouraging. However with the proper method, instruments, and mindset, that wall became a doorway.

You don’t have to develop into an knowledgeable in a single day. Begin small. Learn for 10 minutes. Concentrate on one part. Ask one query. Then do it once more tomorrow.

Use the Three-Move Strategy to handle your time and a focus. Let NotebookLM help you when issues get overwhelming. And bear in mind: it’s okay to not perceive every thing. The aim is progress, not perfection.

Scientific papers are the closest we get to time journey — they allow you to witness the longer term being constructed. So take a breath, discover your quiet nook, and begin studying. The longer term is already written — you simply have to learn it