That's why you use the super secret (read: every undergrad does this) method of reading papers.

Step 1: Check the title, is it relevant?

Step 2: Read the abstract, is it what you're looking for in regard to the experimental outcomes?

Step 3: Check the authors, are they on vixra or do they shovel papers out at a rate of knots? If they do, throw it.

Bruh good undergrads just search for a fact they already kinda know and put it in the finished paper at the last moment

Step 4: Start examining the body. You won't really understand why they did anything but you should be able to examine if they make any blatant errors or make random claims without citation.

Step 5: Check the conclusion matches the abstract.

Step 6: If they present data sets, check they look reasonable. Are the units consistent? Is the scale reasonable? Is the sample size reasonable? Did anyone else use this instrument and what did they get?

That's pretty much all you need.

That's a lot of effort

😏

You get a feel for it

I did not do any of that in my undergrad, but then again I was a solid C student until my third year

I will be surprised if you don't check things during your MSc

And also with Zoo its way easier to assume things, it's all very logical

But this year I've been careful about checking things arts papers are not quite as easy to bullshit sources for

You can check bullshit sources if you have journal subscriptions paid for you

Which a lot of academics do

We all know if you used wikipedias citations

It's fine for uni

But

*We know*

I use Google scholar don't worry

The worst I do is cite books on Google books that I can't actually read the whole thing of

Brainlet tier: Wikipedia citations
Brain tier: Google scholar for online free papers and abstracts
Super brain tier: Citing books online
Cosmic brain tier: Citing books from the library not online that nobody will bother to check

What tier is copying the citations of the first paper you found?

Brain tier

Ultra MEGA COSMIC supreme tier:

Haha

ULTIMATE GOD TIER:
Citing *yourself* in another paper which sites the current paper

😏

I've seen people cite themselves, I've never seen anyone do it without being smug

There's a guy on vixra who does mathematics and only cites himself *several* times every single paper

One time he literally remarks that his theorem is true because nobody proved it wrong and he'll fight anyone who tries

The absolute madman

http://vixra.org/pdf/1612.0123v1.pdf

It even has a fucking spelling mistake

This is just advanced shitposting

I mean I believe

We should remove the 7