Define the jargon in an academic paper
A dictionary definition of “astrocyte” doesn’t tell you why this paper cares about astrocytes. Dassi defines terms in the context of the page you are reading.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”New to Dassi? Follow the installation guide and model setup guide.
Open the paper in Chrome — an HTML version (arXiv, the journal’s page) reads more reliably than a PDF. Open Dassi alongside it.
1. Build a glossary
Section titled “1. Build a glossary”Read this paper. List the 15 technical terms a reader outside the field is most likely to stumble on. For each, give a one-sentence general definition and one sentence on how this paper uses it, citing the section where it first appears.Mark any term whose meaning you're inferring rather than finding defined in the paper.2. Explain the contribution
Section titled “2. Explain the contribution”In plain language, what is this paper's main claim, what evidence supports it, and what do the authors say are the limitations? Under 150 words, no new terms.Check the result
Section titled “Check the result”Look up two of the “inferred” terms elsewhere; those are where Dassi is most likely to be wrong. The contribution summary should match the abstract’s claims — if it sounds bigger than the abstract, it is overreaching. Definitions are reading aids, not citations.