Read on Twitter
I've seen surprisingly little #EconTwitter advice for second years, so here's a short thread with three pieces of advice I found helpful when reading papers to prepare for field exams. [1/4]
(1) Read papers charitably. There's a reason the the paper published well and is on the syllabus. It's easy to find faults with any paper, including great papers. What's actually important/necessary to truly understand a paper is to appreciate what's great about it. [2/4]
(2) Read papers in historical context. Seeing what's great about a paper often requires knowing the tools available to the authors and the challenges the field faced at the time. Creating a timeline of papers really helped me to more deeply understand and retain content. [3/4]
(3) Read papers closely. Your goal isn't just to pass an exam. It's to learn the field so well that you can *teach* it. Think about how well your professor knows the material. You're going to be giving those lectures in just a few years. [4/4]
