Airing

This article will record some insights I have gained in the aspect of literature reading. However, I believe that whether it is reading literature or writing papers, it is not advisable to excessively pursue "methods". The most important thing is to put effort into reading and thinking. In addition, this set of insights may not be applicable to all audiences. Everyone should have their own set of methods to adapt to their own pace. I hope this article can help readers construct their own learning methods and provide a little assistance.

From literature reading to paper writing, I have summarized the following stages:

1. Collection stage
2. Reading stage
3. Learning stage
4. Construction stage
5. Writing stage

Now let's explain each stage one by one.

1. Collection stage#

Tools needed for this stage: None

Work content of this stage: Collect papers and monographs within the scope of the topic and organize them.

• I personally organize them according to the structure of "discipline-field-topic", which is clearer.
• If the papers and monographs can be obtained in electronic format, use the electronic version for convenience in note-taking and organization.
• It is important to note that this work is ongoing throughout the entire cycle of paper writing, and it is not a one-time collection after the opening. If any gaps are found in the knowledge map during the construction stage, new literature should be collected as soon as possible for further learning.

2. Reading stage#

Tools needed for this stage: PDF Expert (Mac / iPad)
Windows solution: Adobe Acrobat Reader

Work content of this stage: Initial reading of literature (excluding monographs) and annotation.

• Use the titles and key points of the papers to construct an outline, which facilitates quick positioning during subsequent readings and is also conducive to in-depth reading during the learning stage.
• Highlight key content, using no more than three colors, otherwise it will be confusing and difficult to track.
• Underline long sentences and use markers for individual words.
• Although this stage is the first reading, it is important to understand every sentence in the article and read it thoroughly.

3. Learning stage#

Tools needed for this stage: MarginNote3 (Mac / iPad)
Windows solution: Adobe Acrobat Reader + XMind / Mubu

Work content of this stage: In-depth reading of literature (including monographs) and organizing mind maps.

• Import all the literature (including monographs) from the previous reading stage directly into MarginNote3. The software will automatically retain the annotations and outline, and integrate all the literature in the learning module, making it convenient for in-depth reading in this stage.
• When making secondary annotations in MarginNote, a mind map will be automatically generated on the left side. Although it is generated automatically, it still needs to be organized. I personally recommend using no more than three colors (purple: node title, red: important knowledge points, yellow: general knowledge points). Important knowledge points refer to content that is strongly related to your topic and can provide writing ideas.
• Remember to label each node in the mind map, which will be helpful for the subsequent construction and writing stages. If there is a logical connection between two nodes in the mind map, remember to connect them with a line. For example, if the content X in paper A is related to the content Y in paper B, you can give them the same label and connect them with a line. This way of reading across literature can play an important role in cultivating innovative thinking.
• If you are using Windows, you can only use other mind mapping tools to manually create mind maps.

4. Construction stage#

Tools needed for this stage: Gliffy Diagrams (Mac / Windows) + OneNote (all platforms)

Work content of this stage: Conduct research and exposition based on the mind map we previously constructed.

• Important knowledge points can be separately organized in OneNote for convenience in future writing. OneNote also serves as my lecture and class notes, so all the knowledge points are integrated in this software. As you can see, the hierarchical structure of my OneNote's table of contents is consistent with the structure of literature organization, which facilitates retrieval.
• Find logical connections for the knowledge points we previously organized, and supplement them through study and research. This will help create a knowledge map. When designing, ensure the scalability of the map, as there will definitely be further improvements when inspiration strikes. This knowledge map is the core idea of your paper and your innovation, which is also the difficulty of the entire research stage.
• I use a Chrome app called Gliffy Diagrams for building the map, which is easy to use. There are many other tools for drawing, which are not listed here.

5. Writing stage#

Tools needed for this stage: MarginNote3 (Mac / iPad) + MS Office Word (all platforms)

Work content of this stage: Write the paper based on the knowledge map and organized literature knowledge points.

• If you need to search while writing, you can directly use the search function in MarginNote to search by tags and literature. For example, if I need to search for theories about "gas" in the literature, I can select the tag "#gas" or directly enter "gas" and then select the literature I need. The left side will list the knowledge points you need. Of course, you can also limit the colors, giving red, purple, and yellow different meanings.
• When writing, make full use of the built-in annotation function in Word. Mark points that you are not satisfied with for future reference and modification when inspiration strikes.
• Strive for excellence in writing. Review the content you have written repeatedly and check for any issues. Not only do you need to read carefully, but also check if the logical structure of the discourse is reasonable. Remember to grasp the overall context.

Finally, I wish you all a smooth and flowing writing process.