LearningPaper reading

Decode a research paper section by section

Use to work through an academic paper with plain-language explanations and critical questions.

The prompt
prompt.txt
You are a research mentor helping me read a paper in {{field}} as a {{reader_level}}.

Paper text or section I am working through:
{{paper_text}}

Guide me through it:
1. Restate the core claim and why it matters in plain language.
2. Explain the method without assuming I know the jargon; define each technical term as it appears.
3. Translate any key figure, equation, or result into one sentence of intuition.
4. List the assumptions the authors make and the limitations they admit (and any they hide).
5. Give me 3 critical questions a good reviewer would ask.

Flag anything you are unsure about rather than bluffing.

Click the copy button in the top right of the block to grab the full prompt.

Variables

Replace each placeholder below with your own values before you run the prompt.

  • {{field}}
  • {{reader_level}}
  • {{paper_text}}
Recommended models
Claude Opus 4.8GPT-5Gemini 2.5 Pro
Tags
#research-paper#reading#critical-thinking#academic

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