On Jan 1, 2018, I decided to read more papers and started trying to read a paper a day. As of today, I have read 899 papers in 899 days. I never would have imagined 2.5 years ago how much I would learn through this and how this would make me a better scientist and human.

One interesting trend is that preprints are making up a larger and larger fraction of these papers. In 2018, I read 54 preprints. In 2019, 72. For 2020, I'm on track to read 100+. Reading preprints has accelerated our science.

The breadth of science I've been able to learn about is incredible. I love love love learning about new things, and this habit has given me the intellectual freedom to explore new fields, even those that aren't directly related to our research.

Reading a paper every day is great way to stay close to your curiosity and to feel inspired. I cannot recommend it enough for scientists at every stage.

Update: I’m going to answer some of the more common questions here so you all don’t need to scroll through the replies!

My process is really simple. I use Papees as my pdf/reference manager, and I have a ‘To Read’ folder. Every day I just pick a paper that strikes my fancy. I keep track of what paper I read in what day with google sheets because I really enjoy seeing my progress!

Otherwise, I don’t really take notes because I’ve never been much of a note-taker when reading. Papers does have a highlight function that I use, and helps a lot if/when I go back.

I read really broadly. One of the most freeing things for me has been that I’ve given myself space every day to read... so I’ll often wander away from our core research, which is usually when I read the most fun stuff. It’s a meander through science!

Also, I’m kind to myself if I miss a day. Life happens. BUT I do have to double up later to make it up!

Finally everyone reads differently and has different time constraints. I think reading based on time (20-30 min) is another great way to frame the idea. The key point is to read the literature, often, and make it a habit—how you get there depends on what works for you!