How does one read a technical article? First you may need to change your approach to reading. In the past, your classes required you to read but for only one purpose, i. e., to pass the exam. Now for your senior design project, you must learn to read on many levels for varying purposes.

Below are enumerated some possible levels.

1. Read only the title and the abstract to get an idea if you should read the article further.

2. Read only the abstract, introduction and conclusions to acquire an executive summary of the article because you are too busy and the article is only remotely useful.

3. Read the article quickly until the going gets rough with theorems, notation or jargon. Unless the article is critical for your needs, don't try to plow through all the highly technical stuff. Read to maximize the information content while minimizing your efforts. Don't abandon an article in the middle due to a rough spot. Continue to scan the article, especially look near the end with its conclusions section for paragraphs that are less technical.

4. Read the article for general knowledge. Underlining or writing in the margins helps. It is best to have a xerox copy of the article to not impede the scribbling and underlining. Study the references at the end of the article for further information.

5. Study the article carefully. Ask yourself questions like the following: Do you believe what the author is presenting? What are her premises? What is her main idea? Who is the intended audience? Are there any technical flaws? What is the status quo that the author is assuming? How is the author proposing to change the status quo? What is the problem she is trying to solve? Is her solution original? Is her solution a good one?

   Work through the examples in the article. Remember, ``No pain, no gain!'' Do the examples have flaws? Present the examples you don't understand to a colleague on the black board. Are her examples convincing? Do they properly demonstrate the concepts?

6. Focus on trying to apply the ideas in the article to your current research problem. Even though the ideas, at first glance, may appear unrelated, they may provide a fresh viewpoint. Don't be intimidated by heavy mathematics or fancy notation. Many times authors use fancy jargon and notations to impress others and the ideas are rather easy to understand once you cut through the baroque surface.

7. Many times an author will have a useful result in her article. Try to duplicate part of the author's results in your own research project. If you are to extend her ideas or use them, you must understand fully her premises, her logic and her methodology by careful reading. One way to force you to understand the material is to present it to a colleague.

In levels 5, 6 and 7, you must write notes in your notebook as you read. There is no other way to capture the ideas that fleet by. As you concentrate in your reading, you may discover a possible solution to your current research problem. Such inspiration must be written down immediately or it may be lost. Try to create the right environment and mindset to encourage this dialog with your notepad or journal while you read.