Appendix B: ACADEMIC READING AND
NOTE-TAKING
To make the most of your studies in Geography and Environmental Science, you
will need to undertake a large volume and wide variety of reading. This might not
be too great a shock for voracious readers fresh from a successful VCE, but it does
require a considerable effort. As in your previous studies, reading will supply vital
information in these three important ways:
* supporting other material such as when regularly checking texts and
recommended references to clarify and extend class notes, * researching specific
topics such as essays, and * revising for examinations.
Academic
language
Nevertheless, there are some important differences with reading at university.
Academic works are rarely written in a popular style; they are produced for
specialist audiences, address very specific problems, use high-level language for
clarity and precision, and are often laden with highly technical terms and
graphics. These works may contain an enormous amount of detailed information,
but it is the nature and quality of the ideas that is your major concern. By its very
nature, much of the material you will be studying will be complex and may still be
in dispute amongst so-called ‘experts’. Therefore, you will face a lot of often
confusing and conflicting opinions about particular problems - the popular
notion of merely ‘finding the facts’ is of little help. And of course as a university
student, you will be working independently with little guidance on either the
source or value of the references you choose to read.
You will need to think critically and systematically about the ideas expressed.
The Essay Writing Guide offers some general directions, but listed below are a
few reading and note-taking habits that may make your academic reading more
efficient and effective.
Reading &
note-taking
GOOD habits
1. Read with a clear purpose in mind so that you can identify relevant material
and measure your progress. It may be worth posing a brief set of specific
questions or tasks before you start reading - at the very least take the exact
essay/tutorial topic with you.
2. Read consistently (e.g. during a set library session each week) rather than
cramming - you will have more time to think critically, reflect upon and develop
your thoughts.
3. Always make your own notes summarising the relevant points. Underlining or
highlighting is better than trying to memorise, but they are both a poor substitute
for writing the key points yourself. Use a separate sheet of paper or at least
annotate the margins of photocopied readings (never the original). Write or keep
all of your notes in the one place e.g. a binder or notebook so that they may be
compared and developed. Don’t forget to record bibliographic detail and call
numbers for later use.
4. Note specific examples which you could incorporate in your own work.
Excellent graphics should also be noted if they assist your understanding and
future explanation of that topic, but remember that it is unacceptable to include
photocopies of them in your own work (even with appropriate acknowledgment).
Where appropriate, you should try to identify and note the following (optional
questions are included in parentheses [....]). All you need are some precise, well structured point form notes about the six (or seven) different items below.
Obviously, you can devote most attention to those aspects of the problem relevant
to your particular task (as in point 1 above). Simply ask yourself about the
‘PAMECIB’:
i. Context and nature of the problem.
Why are they addressing this issue? What aspects are they emphasising? What
exactly is the problem as they see it?
ii. Structure and direction of the argument.
What is the argument/thesis/hypothesis being discussed/tested? (This may be in
the form of an ‘If . . . then . . .’ statement with explicit preconditions and
parameters.)
iii. Methodology used to address the problem.
What techniques or methods do they incorporate to convince you of the validity
of their argument? [Are their methods replicable, reliable and convincing?]
iv. Type and use of evidence.
What sorts of evidence/examples are used? Is this anecdotal? [Is their sufficient
evidence to maintain the argument?]
v. Conclusions.
What precisely do they conclude? [Are their conclusions adequate?]
vi. Implications of the study.
So what? What does this study tell us about previous arguments/investigations of
this problem? What does this study imply for our management of the problem ‘in
the real world’? Do the authors highlight any strengths or weaknesses in their
own argument?
vii. Biographic information about the authors is optional - but it may help
differentiate between competing or changing arguments. It is essential for a
formal book review.]
This ‘PAMECIB’ framework may seem unwieldy, but it is precisely the type of
structure used in the bulk of academic work in the natural and social sciences. It
should demonstrate the necessity of actually making notes which force you to
think more critically and abstractly than would be the case when you rely on the
photocopier and highlighter pen. It will help you to think like the authors of your
readings. And finally, it will certainly encourage you to express the problem in
your own words - the basis of any good essay writing!