THE DEFINITION OF “READING” IN GRADUATE SCHOOL Dr. Nicole Benedek

Learn to Find Papers Yourself  As demonstrated, the UT library system has a lot of stuff available!  Remember, not everything is online. Sometimes, you have to physically go to the library.  Document delivery/interlibrary services can locate and retrieve items from other universities. If UT doesn’t have what you need, use one of these services.

Organization is Critical  Use a searchable archive system to organize papers that you find  Endnote/Papers  Start with your first paper.  Endnote available at Campus Computer Store for $79.  Papers available for online download for $79 (Google search “papers for mac”).

What You Need Affects How You Read  What can you learn from a paper?  Data point/number  New techniques/methods  New science (not everything is in textbooks!)  What other researchers in the field have done/are doing (so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel)  Inspiration! New ideas come through reading.

What You Need Affects How You Read  Knowledge from textbooks is usually correct, but with papers, you must read critically.  Read actively Ask questions while you read. Try to derive equations yourself.  Papers can contain mistakes/math errors. Check everything.

Reading Expectations  Begin the transition to independence now.  Use the bibliography from the first paper your supervisor gives you to locate additional papers for reading.  Be prepared to read a lot, to read deeply, critically, and often.  Think ahead. If you have to present a paper in two weeks, start reading now. Chances are, you will have to read other papers in order to accurately explain this one. Sometimes, you have to chase information down.