Paper Map Prompt: Summarize Each Section the Right Way
Navigate any academic paper systematically — get section-by-section guidance, jargon previews, and focused reading questions before you dive in.
The Anatomy of an Academic Paper (And Why It Matters)
Research papers aren’t written like articles. They follow a rigid structure — abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion — and each section serves a specific purpose. Most readers make the mistake of treating a paper like a long article: starting at the beginning and reading straight through. That’s the slowest, most frustrating way to summarize academic paper sections.
The smarter approach is to map the paper first. Before you read a single full section, understand what the paper is about, what each section will contribute, and what you should be watching for. That’s exactly what the paper map prompt does.
The Prompt: How to Use It
PR040 works differently from most reading prompts. Instead of analyzing text you’ve already read, it prepares you to read more effectively. You paste just the abstract, and AI gives you a complete reading map.
Research Question and Significance: The prompt identifies what the paper is actually investigating — not just the topic, but the specific question and why it matters.
Section-by-Section Guidance: For each major section, AI tells you what to pay attention to in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Jargon Preview: The prompt flags terms you should look up before reading, removing the friction that causes most people to give up mid-paper.
Reading Questions: Questions to carry with you through the paper, turning passive reading into active analysis.
After your first pass through the paper, come back to AI with individual sections. Paste the methods section and ask: “Explain this methods section in plain English. What exactly did they do?” This is where the Methods Decoder becomes your next tool.
Example Output: What a Paper Map Looks Like
Research Question: Does sleep quality (not just duration) predict next-day cognitive performance in working adults?
Why It Matters: Most sleep research focuses on duration. If quality independently predicts performance, workplace policies need different optimization strategies.
Introduction — Watch For: How the authors define “sleep quality” vs. “sleep duration”
Methods — Watch For: How they measured sleep quality (subjective vs. objective), sample size, confounders controlled
Results — Watch For: Effect sizes (not just statistical significance)
Discussion — Watch For: Whether the authors overstate their findings, what limitations they acknowledge
Jargon to Look Up: polysomnography, sleep architecture, N2/N3 stages, actigraphy
With this map, you read the paper in 20 minutes instead of 45 — and you understand it better.
Building on the Paper Map
The paper map is your first move with any research paper. After reading with the map’s guidance, use these companion prompts:
Methods Decoder — Explain procedures, variables, and statistics in plain English
Limitations & Assumptions — Find what the paper admits and what it doesn’t
Related Work Finder — Build your reading list after finishing
Frequently Asked Questions
Read Research Papers With Confidence
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Start Learning →Navigate Any Paper With Confidence
The Paper Map is your first tool. Next, decode methods, find limitations, and build your reading list with the rest of the Research Papers pillar.
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