Managing your Reading
Ways of Reading
There are many different ways of reading – for instance, the way we read a newspaper is different to
how we read a novel. Often what determines how we read is the degree of relevance we give to the
various texts we engage with. Somehow academic texts have acquired a status that is different to other
forms of written text and this often makes it difficult for us to read them in a relaxed manner as we would
read other text types.
General Reading v. Reading for an Assignment
It is useful to make a decision about how you’re going to read a given text. For example, general,
background reading can be managed very differently to reading something to present at a tutorial or
reading for an essay. It’s very easy to read in an open ended way, particularly if you’re interested in
what you’re reading but you do need to be careful about this as you can easily become side-tracked.
Sometimes, of course, general reading is invaluable, but as your essay assignments start arriving you
will need to become more focused.
Recording Your Reading
A common image of students reading an academic text goes like this: Pen in hand - book open and
notebook alongside, the student is sitting at a desk writing pages of notes - head moving from reading
text to notebook and back again.
Below are some other ‘recording’ methods. The ones in bold are the ones recommended!







Underlining/highlighting parts of the text.
Writing down the ‘key points’.
Selecting and writing down extracts from the text.
Reading through (like a novel) without making notes.
Reading in short bursts (section, chapters etc.) then summarising what you’ve read.
Noting down comments or questions.
Writing a summary after you’ve finished reading.
Reading Lists
You will have been given reading lists for your various courses. These can be daunting so they need to
be viewed with some degree of pragmatism. You will not be able to read everything on the list and you
are not expected to read everything on the list. Some texts may be labelled as ‘essential reading’ while
others may be considered supplementary. Find out which is which.
Different Sources of Reading
Books
It’s probably best to begin with the most recent general survey of the topic unless you know that an
earlier work is the standard text in the field.
1
Academic Development Directorate
www.soas.ac.uk/skillsforsuccess
Journals
A good way of finding out what controversies are current in your field or what new data is available is by
reading a recent journal article. These will generally be more current than books and tend to focus
directly on particular issues. But, it’s no use trying to struggle through a journal article if you feel that you
do not have the background to follow the arguments or really understand what it is talking about. Go
back to the general text which can give you the background that you may need.
Internet
Increasingly students are given internet site references. These may be articles included in electronic
versions of journals or they may be other types of internet site which provides information or debates not
necessarily through the standard academic medium.
Dealing with Reading Lists
 Explore your reading list imaginatively. Thematise each week’s ‘readings’ so that you can get an
idea of what the lecture might cover. Interrogate the themes. Note down what you know/ think you
know /would like to know about them.
 Look for recent ‘overview’ type titles, as these could be a good starting point. Some reading lists
identify ‘essential’ readings compared with ‘additional’ readings.
 Be selective in your reading. It may be neither necessary not useful to try to read all the suggested
materials but don’t forget that you may need to read other books and articles which are not on the
list.
 Only certain parts of a book or certain articles in a collection may be useful, so therefore look at the
titles of articles/chapters or look up the subject in the index.
 Get into the habit of taking note of the names and work of writers cited in the things you are reading.
Check the references section at the back of the book/paper to see what they have written. It may be
relevant to your own work and /or may shed light on things that seem complicated.
 When reading for essay questions remember that the reading suggestions provided by the
department may only contain the most fundamental texts and it’s up to you to read around the
subject. The point above is useful here.
 Remember that lectures or tutorials seldom cover the material with same depth or focus required by
the essays that will be set. You will always have to supplement them with reading. Note any
references given during the lectures.
 If you can’t get hold of the texts, let the course convenor know.
 If a book is listed as being in the library but is not actually on the shelf, let the library staff know.
Final Comments
Enjoy your reading. Be courageous and interrogate your readings. (e.g. Does the writer give evidence or
explanations to support the view expressed? Where are they? Are they plausible?)
Read with an open but critical mind. (e.g. If you agree/ disagree, why?)
Learn about the discourse (language and writing) of your field from what you read. Who’s who in your
field.
If you’re photocopying something, always make sure you write the bibliographic details on the copy.
2
Academic Development Directorate
www.soas.ac.uk/skillsforsuccess