A Software Engineer's Guide to Reading Research Papers
My personal framework for reading research papers
Reading research papers is becoming an essential part of a software engineer's job. You need to constantly look out for new developments in your area - for instance, in my past job, I used to track and apply new developments in time series analysis. This is just one example of how research papers directly impact our work. More broadly, as you grow in your career, you'll find that papers become the most efficient source not only for learning new things but also for filling gaps in your existing knowledge. Often you'll find pieces of wisdom and insights hidden in these papers that aren't discussed elsewhere.
Yet, many find these dense technical documents intimidating. Not having a research background can be an impediment when you first start to read papers. I've spent years reading and understanding research papers, and in this article, I'll share the approach that works for me.
Note to the Subscribers: I’m attending to my family for the next few weeks, which means I will have less time to spend on my research and writing work. We have a live session on the 9th Feb, so perhaps the next article will come after that.