Turn research papers into an audio show
Upload arXiv, bioRxiv or journal PDFs to Lissin and get an audio explainer you can follow while walking. Upload several papers together to compare them.
The short answer
Download the paper’s PDF and upload it, or paste the PDF link, then ask for the level you want: the result and why it matters, the method in detail, or the argument against it. Upload several papers together to get one episode that compares them.
How to do it
Take the PDF, not the abstract page
Give Lissin the PDF, not the arXiv listing page. The listing holds only an abstract and a set of links, so a show made from it covers little more than the abstract. You can paste the PDF link or upload the file. A journal PDF behind a paywall cannot be fetched from its link, so download it through your own institutional access and upload it.
Pick a level in the prompt
Three that work: ‘explain the result to someone in a neighbouring field’, ‘walk me through the method as if I might replicate it’, ‘what would a hostile reviewer say’.
Upload the set, not the paper
Upload four papers on the same problem together and ask ‘where do these disagree and what would settle it’. You get one episode that compares them.
At a glance
- Sources it takes
- A link, pasted text, or a PDF — scanned and multilingual go through OCR
- Multiple papers
- Upload together for a comparison episode
- Typical episode length
- 10–20 minutes
- Transcript
- Included, synchronised to the audio
Hear what comes out
Shows already published on Lissin, free to play in the browser.
Questions
- Does it read the equations?
- It reads them as text, which rarely works aloud. Ask for a script that explains what each equation does instead of reciting it.
- Can it keep up with a preprint feed?
- Not from uploads, which are snapshots. Set up a recurring show described by subject instead. Lissin researches the area fresh on each run, so new work is covered without you uploading anything.
- How accurate is it on technical detail?
- Good enough to orient you, not good enough to cite. Treat an episode as a way to decide whether to read the paper, and check any specific number or claim against the PDF before you repeat it.
What this does not do
Figures carry a large share of the meaning in most papers and audio cannot carry them. Supplementary materials are separate files and have to be uploaded separately. Anything paywalled has to come through your own access.
Make your own show, or hear a sample
Make a show from your topic or documents in the Lissin iPhone app (iOS 26 or later). Or listen to public shows in the web player without installing the app.
Last reviewed September 9, 2026 by Lissin Editorial.