How to Use Explainpaper to Read Research Papers

Explainpaper is a tool that lets you upload a research paper, highlight any confusing text, and get an instant AI-generated explanation of that passage. It is built for readers who get stuck on dense jargon or unfamiliar methods and want a plain-language answer without leaving the paper. The site describes the workflow as "Highlight confusing text and get instant, simple explanations" and claims it helps you "Read Research Papers 10x Faster." It is aimed at researchers, students, and anyone working through technical literature.

What you need before starting

• A research paper in a file format you can upload (the site's core action is "Upload Your First Paper").
• An account or sign-in, since the site offers a free starting point and a Pro trial: "Start Free, Try Pro for 7 Days."
• A browser session where you can read the paper and select text.

The site reports it is used by "400,000+ researchers," so the workflow is shared by a large user base rather than a niche experiment.

Step-by-step: from upload to explanation

1. Upload the paper

Use the upload entry point on the site to add your paper. The homepage prompt is "Upload Your First Paper." Once uploaded, the paper becomes the reading surface you work on.

Expected result: the paper is open in Explainpaper and ready for text selection.

2. Highlight the confusing text

Select the words, sentence, or section you do not understand. The product is designed around this gesture: "Highlight confusing text and get instant, simple explanations." You choose what needs explaining, so you are not reading a generic summary of the whole paper.

Expected result: the highlighted passage is sent for explanation.

3. Read the AI explanation

The tool returns an explanation of the selected text. According to the site, "In the background, an LLM simplifies and explains complex concepts." The explanation is meant to be simpler than the original wording, so you can keep moving through the paper instead of stopping to search elsewhere.

Expected result: you get a plain-language version of the passage you highlighted.

4. Ask follow-up questions

Beyond highlighting, you can ask questions about the paper. One user, Kenneth Cassel, described it as "Being able to ask an AI questions about a research paper." This is useful when an explanation raises a new question or when you want to connect a term to the rest of the paper.

Expected result: you get answers tied to the paper you uploaded, which helps with concepts that span multiple sections.

What users report about the experience

The site collects testimonials from researchers, and they point to a few practical patterns:

• Faster review time. Bindu Reddy wrote that "My AI and ML research paper review time has gone down significantly" and credited Explainpaper for explaining "dense sections."
• Lower intimidation when entering a new field. Amy wrote that when she feels "a bit intimidated about learning complex concepts," she remembers she has help from the tool, and that it helps her "feel more confident going deep into new territory."
• A reading companion feel. Justin Torre said, "I feel like I have a buddy reading the paper with me."
• Changed reading habits. Simon Kozlov said that "In just a few days, explainpaper.com completely changed how and how often I read papers," describing the select-any-words-to-get-an-explanation flow.

These are user observations, not guarantees. They are useful as signals of what the tool is good at: dense sections, jargon, and first-pass comprehension.

Practical tips for getting better explanations

• Highlight narrowly. Select the specific phrase or sentence that blocks you rather than a whole page. The tool explains what you select, so a tighter selection tends to produce a more focused explanation.
• Use it on methods and jargon first. The testimonials repeatedly mention "dense sections" and "jargon," which are the places where a plain-language explanation saves the most time.
• Ask about connections. If a term appears in the abstract and again in the results, ask how the paper uses it in each place.
• Keep the paper as your context. Because you are working inside the uploaded paper, your questions stay tied to that document instead of drifting into general web results.

Pricing and access

The site's homepage includes the line "Start Free, Try Pro for 7 Days," which indicates a free starting option and a 7-day Pro trial. A pricing page exists at the site's Pricing link. The available material does not list specific prices, payment methods, or what limits apply to the free tier, so check the pricing page directly before committing to a plan.

When Explainpaper is a good fit — and when it is not

Good fit:

• You are reading a paper in an unfamiliar subfield and need jargon explained in place.
• You want to move through dense sections without breaking your reading flow to search for definitions.
• You want to ask questions about a specific paper rather than a general topic.

Weaker fit:

• You need a full critical review or reproducibility check of a paper's methods — the tool explains text, it does not audit results.
• You need to verify claims against external sources; the explanations come from an LLM and should be checked against the paper itself when accuracy matters.
• You are working with a paper you cannot upload or share.

Quick reference

The core loop is simple: upload, highlight, read the explanation, ask follow-ups. That loop is what the site's users describe as making paper reading faster and less intimidating.