The Research Reading Problem
Academic research requires reading hundreds of papers. Claude helps me process and synthesize information more efficiently.
Paper Summarization Workflow
- Initial Summary: "Summarize this paper's main contributions, methodology, and findings"
- Critical Analysis: "What are the limitations of this study?"
- Connection Building: "How does this relate to [other paper]?"
Literature Review Organization
I maintain a structured prompt for consistency:
"Analyze this paper and provide: 1. Key contributions (2-3 sentences) 2. Methodology summary 3. Main findings 4. Limitations 5. Relevance to [my research topic]"
Comparative Analysis
Claude excels at comparing multiple papers:
- Identifying common themes
- Highlighting contradictory findings
- Suggesting gaps in the literature
Citation Management Tips
- Always verify citations Claude generates
- Use Claude to format citations in your preferred style
- Ask for related papers to explore
Ethical Considerations
Remember: Claude assists analysis but shouldn't write your papers. Use it to understand, not to plagiarize.