How to Use OpenRead

Getting started with OpenRead

With OpenRead, you’ll be able to interact with academic papers more efficiently, ask questions about content, and even generate structured drafts for your own work. This guide will take you from signing up to using the core features in just a few minutes.

Step 1: Sign up and set up

1. Visit OpenRead's website.
2. Click on the Sign Up button in the top right corner.
3. Enter your email address and create a password, or sign up using a Google account.
4. Confirm your email through the link sent to your inbox.
5. Log in to your new account.

Step 2: Your first Paper Q&A

1. Once logged in, navigate to the Paper Q&A section on the homepage.
2. Click on Upload Paper to upload a PDF of the academic paper you want to interact with.
3. Wait for the document to process, then click on the paper title to open it.
4. Type your question in the Ask a Question box that appears on the right side.
5. Review the AI-generated answer below your question. You can ask follow-up questions for clarification.

Step 3: Get better results

• To improve the quality of answers, ensure your questions are specific. Instead of asking "What is this paper about?", ask "What are the main findings of the study on page 3?".
• Use the Highlight tool to mark important sections of the paper that you want to refer back to later.
• For generating a structured draft, go to the Paper Espresso section, input your topic, and select the desired structure (e.g., introduction, methods, results).

Pro tip

When using Paper Q&A, ask one question at a time for clearer answers. If you ask multiple questions in one go, the AI may get confused and provide a less accurate response.

Common mistake to avoid

Avoid uploading papers that are not in PDF format. OpenRead only supports PDF files, so ensure your documents are correctly formatted before uploading.