Most papers are not written to be read from the first line to the last. They are written to be checked. Reading them well means reading them more than once, each time with a different question.

First pass: what is the claim?

Read the title, the abstract, the figures and the last paragraph of the discussion. Ten minutes, no more. Write the claim in one sentence in your own words. If you can’t, the paper may not be for you today.

Second pass: does the evidence hold?

Now read the methods and results. Mark every place where a number carries the argument. Oriel keeps these highlights next to the paragraph, so you can come back to them when you write.

Third pass: argue with it

Ask what would make the claim false. Look for the paper that disagrees. This is where most of your own ideas will come from.