Getting the most from your academic reading
- Reading at university
- Reading effectively
- Useful strategies for reading
- Reading critically
- Dealing with difficult readings
Reading at university
You'll do a lot of reading while you are at university. You'll find that your lectures and other classes give you a framework for the courses but that you need to build on this further with your reading. In some courses you will focus on the set textbook, in others you will be expected to read more widely using program materials, journal articles, online sources, chapters in books, newspapers and company reports. The lecturer will usually indicate the specific expectations for each course so that you are clear about the expected amount and range of reading for each course - and this will be closely linked to your assessment.
What and how much you read will depend on the purpose of your reading. Some of the purposes of your reading might be to:
- obtain an overview of a chapter in preparation for a lecture
- gain a detailed understanding of the topic to prepare for an exam
- find an answer to a specific question or problem for a tutorial
- gather information for an assignment or tutorial.
You will decide how much to read on any topic by considering things like the amount of detail you need, the word length of an assignment, the depth of questions on previous exam papers and the time you have available.
Reading effectively
How you go about any reading is largely determined by your purpose, but the content, structure and familiarity of the reading and topic also influence the way you read. When you read at university, you will draw on the reading skills you already have like scanning or reading in detail. Whatever you read - a novel, a letter or a newspaper - the approach you take will depend on how much you already know of the content and the way the readings are structured.
Useful strategies for reading
To gain an overview
It is useful to have an overview of the topic before going to a lecture and for this you can use your textbook. You won't have to read the whole chapter - just use your knowledge of the way readings are structured to find relevant content. In this process you will make use of features like the title of the chapter or article, headings, introduction and summary, objectives, glossaries, tables and diagrams, use of different fonts and colour, review questions.
To prepare for discussion
In preparing for a tutorial you may need to read a set journal article and you will need more than just an overview. Your lecturer will expect you to pick out the main points or ideas so that you can feel confident about discussing them in the tutorial. With this kind of reading start by thinking about the title. What does it allow you to predict about the article? Does it give you any clues as to the views the author holds about this topic? What other views or perspectives might other people have?
Now read the paper in more detail. Start with the abstract if there is one; read the introduction and conclusion or summary; read the first paragraph in each section; read the first and last sentence of each paragraph. This should give you a sound understanding of the article.
Reading to find specific information
When you are looking for the answer to a specific question or problem you will probably scan to locate the information. This will enable you to locate the relevant sections and read as much as you need to find the answer to your question.
Reading for assignments
When you are reading for an assignment you will be reading a number of articles you have chosen. Before you read the whole thing, think about the following questions to decide if it is worth reading. Who wrote it? When was it written? Who was it written for (teachers, practitioners, housewives)? Why was it written? How relevant is it to your assignment?
Before you begin reading for an assignment you will probably have topic headings or questions that have emerged from your assignment plan. You can then use the strategies in the previous paragraph to find information relevant to that topic heading or the answer to that question.
Reading for exams
When reading to prepare for an examination you need to consider again how much and to what depth you need to read. Once you are clear about your purpose you can select appropriate strategies. Some sections you may need to read in detail.
Reading critically
As you read academic books or articles at university you are expected to be ‘critical’ and to think about the author’s intention and the evidence and ideas used to convince the reader. You do not necessarily accept everything you read. Questions like these below will help you to be 'critical':
- what credibility does the author have in this field?
- what is significant or important about this chapter or reading?
- what claims are being made? what is the basis of the claims? what evidence is used?
- how logical are the ideas? do the conclusions follow from the evidence?
- how valid and generalisable are the conclusions?
Dealing with difficult readings
You may find reading academic books or articles difficult for a number of reasons. Sometimes the concepts may be complex and challenging. In this case you could find another book or reading which explains the ideas more simply. Sometimes there are many unfamiliar terms and jargon. Focus on the main message and use any associated diagrams or other visual aids to help you understand. Using subject dictionaries or glossaries can help you to interpret the jargon words.
Sometimes you may find it difficult to maintain concentration. To overcome a lack of concentration and to maintain your interest, be an active reader by asking questions, turning headings into questions and noting answers in your own words. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of readings or the size of one reading. Use your strategies for gaining an overview to identify the main sections so that the reading is more manageable; then select the parts you need to read in more detail.
Sources
Marshall , L & Rowland, M 1999 , ‘ Reading’. Ch.8 in A guide to learning independently, Longman, Melbourne.
Glendinning, EH & Holmstrom, B 1992, Study reading, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.