Identify the root of the tree
Read from the root toward the tips
Compare branching points to find common ancestors
Note that each node represents a divergence event
Determine which taxa share the most recent common ancestor
Use branch lengths only if the tree is scaled
Ignore the left-to-right order of tips unless specified
Check whether the tree is rooted or unrooted
Compare clades to see which groups are related
Look for sister taxa that share a direct node
Trace lineage splits backward to infer evolutionary relationships
Use the tree topology to compare relatedness
Interpret closer nodes as more recent shared ancestry
Treat tip labels as the observed species or sequences
Read internal nodes as hypothetical ancestral lineages