Introduction
Reading is something we take for granted; at least by the time we enter higher education, it has
become automatic. We read to acquire knowledge, or purely for pleasure. We read in order to take
informed decisions about a purchase or a holiday. We read to locate very specific “facts”, e.g., what
time a bus is due to leave. This is normally a pointless piece of reading because the time indicated
bears little resemblance to the actual time. We read to escape, perusing boring magazines in a
dentist’s waiting room to avoid thinking about the treatment or reading a brilliant novel to escape
from everything.
The key to knowledge
When you start your higher education, reading takes on a whole new significance. Whatever you
study, you will undoubtedly be expected to do a great deal of reading. In books and journals lies the
history of every subject, from the thoughts of great philosophers from the distant past to cutting-edge
discoveries in biotechnology. Even though some of your reading may be from online information, you
still have to develop the techniques of selecting, remembering, and using the right information and
learning to read quickly and effectively. Reading is a marvellous key to the doorway of knowledge and
a wonderfully enriching experience.
Why read at all?
 To gather information for very precise instructions, such as how to programme a mobile phone
or how to follow a statistical procedure. This means you read carefully, pay attention to
detail, and return to particular sections.
 Reading for enjoyment: romping through a gripping novel as fast as you can, knowing you are
not going to be tested on it.
 Reading for quick information: skimming through a magazine to gain a quick idea of what it
contains.
 Reading for specific information, e.g., scanning a recipe book for vegetarian recipes.
Four ways of reading
1. Background reading gives you the big picture and a general overview; a lot of pre-course
reading comes into this category.
2. Skimming helps you gain a general impression and gives you a superficial knowledge; you
tend to use cues like headings or key words for this type of reading.
3. Scanning gives you a more detailed knowledge than skimming; here you read only what is
necessary and look for things of specific interest.
4. Detailed and critical reading gives you deeper knowledge and the ability to analyse and
evaluate what you have read.
All of these are useful.
Use your eyes
Maybe you believe that as you read your eyes move steadily along each line. In fact, they make a
series of small jumps, fixating on one word at a time, and then pausing for 0.25 to 0.50 seconds
between fixations. You probably think that you read steadily forward, but in fact, most of us make
several little backward movements with our eyes as we read, wasting more time. Learning to read
quickly and take in what you read does take practice, but you can read up to 1,000 words a minute
and if you can reduce the number of jumps and pauses, you will suffer less eye strain.
Eye gymnastics
At least, these don’t make you sweaty and you don’t involve expensive equipment.
Fixate first the top left, then top right of a page, and practise moving your eyes quickly between the
two. Do the same between the top and bottom of the page and between diagonal corners.
Practise reducing the number of fixations. Use a pointer to point at every second or even every third
word. Move your pointer every 1.5 seconds. It is true that reading while you are coordinating all this is
challenging, but it is worth it. Gradually increase the frequency with which you move your pointer and
the distance you move it.
Other tips for fast reading
Practise turning pages quickly and at the right moment: think that you are turning the pages of music
for a world-class musician (though, of course, they should be able to play by memory, but that is
hardly the point). Time yourself over set numbers of words to see whether you are getting quicker and
give yourself frequent breaks so that you can maintain reasonable levels of concentration. Check your
comprehension. Common sense might suggest that as you read faster it is harder to absorb
information, but, with practice, it appears that perhaps the contrary is the case.
Be selective
When you read books, journals, or papers, you can find out quite quickly what is going to be useful to
you. Obviously, the title tells you something, but you can also learn a lot from the contents, the index,
the notes on the back cover, and the introduction. Individual introductions to chapters or sections and
the summaries at the ends of these won’t ensure you can write an essay that will get you a mark of
70%+, but they will quickly let you work out what is actually worth reading. It is easy to waste time
reading irrelevant material.
SQ3R
You have not suddenly wandered by mistake into a chapter on numbers and equations; SQ3R is the
acronym for a popular reading method that has stood the test of time. S is, in a way, linked to being
selective but it actually stands for survey, as in to survey the material you want to use in order to
achieve whatever your objective is, e.g., write an essay, gather some background material for a
project, or prepare to give a presentation. Briefly surveying everything you might want to use and
using your technique of being selective will help you concentrate on what is relevant and useful.
Q is for Questions Questions Questions
As you prepare for your reading, ask all those familiar “W” questions, an “H” sneaks in as well to
untidy the pattern: the when, what, where, why, how, and who questions to which you need answers
to achieve your objectives. This helps your reading to be more tightly focused and encourages you to
concentrate on gathering relevant information. Doing this will help you note or mark the most
important points and it will draw your attention to new names, dates, and new terminology. You will
gain deeper understanding using this approach to reading.
It sounds obvious, but read
When you begin to read, be aware of trying to find answers to the questions you have raised. If you
can, try to read the whole chapter, article, or paper right through, marking, underlining, and noting
anything that is important; this also helps to keep your concentration sharp and alert. Having read the
material through once, divide it into smaller sections and reread, note all the underlined text, and
reduce your reading speed for any difficult sections. This second reading allows you to fill in the details
around the framework your first reading provided. You have become a reader with a detailed, critical
approach.
The second “R” - Recall, Rehearse, and Recite
When you have read the material, look away for a while and then try to recall answers to questions.
The more quickly you recall and rehearse information and the more times you do this, the more likely
that information will be stored in your long-term memory and also recalled when you want to
remember it. Your deeper knowledge of a subject will also grow by doing this. Note in your own words
what you have read – this is far more likely to guarantee your understanding than just copying
phrases from the book. Read more about note-taking in Chapter 6 (should chapter references be
included as they aren’t used to organise content in the CWS? Consider rewording).
The final R
You’ve made it through all the stages of skilled, planned, and thoughtful reading. Does this mean the
final “R” stands for “relief”, because you are now ready to start that dissertation or report, or perhaps
for “refreshment”, because you feel ready for some by now? Sadly, it stands for neither, but you are
nearly there – it stands for “review”. When you have finished reading the chapter or article, employing
all the steps listed in SQ3R, review what you have read and learned. Skim through the chapter once
more, checking that you can still answer your questions.
Don’t be discouraged
Reading about reading, the approaches, steps, exercises, and instructions, can put you off. It is really
worth remembering that you are not starting from a base point of being unprepared, inexperienced,
and clueless in all of this. Rather, you are building on skills, knowledge, and techniques that you
already possess. What all this is about is to help you to be more efficient and to make better use of
your reading time, but don’t feel it all has to happen at once. To find out more, read Sheila Cameron’s
“Business Students Handbook” chapter (should chapter references be included as they aren’t used to
organise content in the CWS? Consider rewording)
Reading and employment
As you hand back your last book to the library after your final examination, you are not abandoning
the skilled approach to reading you have cultivated throughout your studies. Most jobs, however
practical they seem, require effective reading of many kinds. Not everyone will be ploughing through
hefty legal texts, and sadly, there are but few opportunities to become paid book reviewers of high
renown. There is, however, written text to suit every job: sales reports, technical manuals, medical
notes, annual reviews, or project bids. The written word is everywhere and you will be expected to
read it and to use it.
Handy in your job search
There are many places where being able to draw out relevant information and, most particularly, to
read between the lines is a truly valuable life skill, and when you start your job search this is certainly
the case. Which recruitment brochure or company website is going to say, “It is nasty to work here
and I wouldn’t apply if I were you”? Recruitment information does give away a lot about the culture of
the organisations you are thinking about applying to. Do they mention the word “flexible”, or is there
any mention of ongoing training and staff development?
Read for life
Just as puppies, kittens, and Brussels sprouts are for life and not just for Christmas, reading is not
just for the time you spend in higher education. The reading techniques and approaches you develop
will stand you in good stead in all kinds of situations at work, in further training and professional
development, and in all aspects of life. The amount you have to read while you are a student can be
overwhelming, so use whichever techniques seem to suit you best and, above all, take breaks and
breathers from time to time. Reading should remain a key, not a lock.