[dnadler]

It’s interesting how many different opinions there are in this thread! Perhaps it really varies by field.

I was reading mostly neuroscience papers when I was taught this method as an undergrad (though the details are a bit fuzzy these days).

I’d bet it also varies quite a bit with expertise/familiarity with the material. A newcomer will have a hard time understanding the methodology of a niche paper in neuroscience, for example, but the concepts communicated in the abstract and other summary sections are quite valuable.