Academic Skills Advice
Effective Reading Strategies
This workshop will:
– Explore what ‘reading’ means when using scholarly texts
– Examine the difference between preliminary reading strategied and reading
for ‘depth’
– Offer practical ideas for managing your reading effectively
Teaching Points:
1. Why and what you read at University
2. Preliminary reading versus reading for ‘depth’, and their corresponding
reading strategies.
3. Strategies for managing your reading effectively
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1. Why, how and what your read at University
Why you read at University:
At University, reading is the key to success. Without putting in the time and effort to
read your notes; tutors’ handouts and feedback; hard copy and online texts; and
your own assignments before submission, you are unlikely to achieve your goal of
being a successful student.
It’s not necessarily the case that you will enjoy all the reading you do but avoiding
it simply isn’t an option if you want to succeed in your studies. It’s all about
reading for a purpose rather than pleasure which means you will read in a
different way.
What you read:
There are many different texts you will read and use dependent on your course.
Some of these include:
Acts of parliament
Statutes
Activity 1: Different texts
Individually identify five more sources you need for your course and jot down your
ideas on the space below. Discuss your list with your neighbour and see if their list is
different.
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2. Preliminary reading versus reading for ‘depth’, and their
corresponding reading strategies
Preliminary reading is about gaining an overview of a text, finding out what its
basic themes and concepts are, and identifying which parts you will use for reading
in ‘depth’.
First you skim the chosen text which is reading it quickly to get a general
impression of the contents, the key ideas and the broad structure of a text or an
article. This will help you to absorb particular information when you re-read the text.
Make some markings in the text or in the margins as guidelines for later reading.
For books check:

the contents page – basically a list of sections and/or chapters which provide
any easy list of what the whole text contains and where it is going. The
contents page can be seen as a map.

the index – these are invaluable for looking up key words you have pulled
from an assignment brief/question and your notes. The index is basically a list
of ‘signposts’ to the subjects and terms you are researching.

the introduction – this isn’t just the writer telling us his/her history and why
they wrote the text. This can be useful as some introductions provide
summaries of what each section/chapter examines and also how to get the
most out of the text.

the chapter headings – these act as the ‘towns’ on your map and, if appear
relevant, will be useful to read in more depth later. Like the title, chapters
may be called something that bears little relation to its content, so read the
first paragraph as this is likely to be an introduction into what the chapter is
about, and the last paragraph chapter as this is likely to be a summary of its
content.

the first and last chapter – or the text’s ‘starting off point’ and ‘destination’
and tend to provide an introduction to the whole text and a summary of it.

summaries at the end of chapters and at the end of the book – sometimes
these are sections in themselves.
Directly adapted from Greetham (2013: 87)
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For journal articles check:

The abstract at the beginning on the article – is a summary of the journal so
easy to see if the text contains a research subject, methodology, or findings
of interest. It is likely to contain the overall aims and specific objectives of the
research, the problem under scrutiny, methodology and methods, key
findings and conclusions/recommendations

The introduction – about the what, why and how of the research. It should
contain background to the research, the purpose or goal of the research, any
specific limitations, and the methodology and methods used during the
research. (This last may also include an overview of the literature reviewed)

The conclusion – the implications of the research which may provide ideas for
your own studies.
Directly adapted from Burns and Sinfield (2012: 287-288)
For websites:



No two websites have the same structure so there are no easy page names or
sections to identify.
You can look at the home page which should provide information on the
various topics the website discusses or has information on.
There may be a search engine within the website for entering key terms.
Note: be very sceptical about all websites.
Do not rely solely on websites for your
assessments.
Then you scan. This is more careful reading where you identify topic sentences and
evidence for later use. You will take brief summative notes, and this second reading
will give you a better sense of the text and its meaning. When you scan, you will be
actively reading which includes taking notes and highlighting passages whether
using paper copies or on-screen Word/pdf documents. You could use different
coloured pens and highlighters, sticky tabs and post-it notes or the annotation tool
software tool. (A little more on active reading later).
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Now you can start reading for detail and do more ‘in-depth’ exploration about
specific ideas, theories, etc and to develop a stance or formulate an opinion. This is
about…

systematically reading the chapter or section or paper from start to finish

digging deeper by trying to see between the lines. Ask yourself: what is the
writer’s overall point?, why is ‘x’ relevant?, what does ‘x’ add to the
argument?, what lessons can be learnt?
Let’s have a practice to work out what you would do in different situations:
You’re given a 50-page report the night before a conference you’re attending. Do
you skim, scan or read in depth?
Answer: Your want to get the general impression of the contents so you would skim.
You’re attending a press conference held by the head of state of a country which
has a very poor record on human rights. To prepare yourself you refer to a detailed
report on the country’s judicial system compiled by Amnesty International. In
particular you want to know how many political prisoners are at present detained
without trial and the length of time they’ve been in custody? Do you skim, scan or
read in depth?
Answer:
Activity 2: Reading with purpose
Now it’s your turn. In pairs or in small groups, read the following scenarios and
decide whether you skim, scan or read in depth.
A. You’ve been asked to take over the job of secretary at your local golf club.
You’ve got to compile an agenda for the next meeting by reading the minutes
of the last meeting.
Answer:
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B. After ordering it some months ago you receive a copy of the latest novel by
your favourite author. You start reading it on the train going to work.
Answer:
C. You’re studying on a scholarship grant. But the terms of the grant are
changing next year, which might mean you no longer qualify. You’ve just
received a copy of the new regulations.
Answer:
Make sure you look up unfamiliar words and maybe create a personal glossary. Also,
try a colour-code system to link a particular argument with its evidence.
3. Strategies for managing your reading effectively
ACTIVE READING is when you read and pay attention to the text. When reading
an academic text (whether book/paper/screen), you should concentrate and whilst
you won’t need to memorise direct quotes, you are likely to have to retain key
elements for use in the future (for assessment purposes). You should be making
notes to act as a reminder for what you have read. You may be tense as you may
see a text or reading as a chore or you are worried you won’t understand the
content or loads of other reasons. You will probably have chosen chapters or
sections to read which are dotted throughout the text. You are right to take it
seriously, so treat your reading as part of your ‘job’ as a student.
So…
Plan your reading:

Know how much time to give to the reading and research phase. Check the
module description – directed study hours are a real giveaway to assessment.

Have a start and finish time so it seems less daunting and you have a specific
cut- off. Or set yourself the goal of reading a particular theme or topic and
then stopping. Stop reading when…
-
Information starts to repeat itself
You’ve covered the core material
You’ve answered your research questions
You are coming across information not relevant to the research question
The information does not offer anything new
You are exhausted/out of time.
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
The ‘Pizza Principle’ – read in chunks therefore breaking down large
complicated themes into ‘do-able’ sizes

Little and often – don’t overdo it by thinking you can read for a full day as you
won’t anyway.

Factor in breaks to rest your brain and body, and take on food and drink
(water!)

‘I couldn’t find the books.’ This is the university equivalent of ‘the dog ate my
homework’. There are always documents online if hard copy texts are
unavailable.
Get into a routine: create a timetable so you know what time you have available for
reading. Keeping to a routine reduces stress and worry as you
always know you have time set aside.
Find the right environment for you to read at your best: some students like noise
whilst others need quiet. Some like to be alone or have other
people around. Find what’s best for you and stick to it.
Choose the right time for you to read at your best: similar to above. Are you a night
owl or dawn lark? Whichever, go with what works best for you.
We all worry about missing something, or not having enough data/evidence etc.
Remember that a few sources, well-chosen and well-used are better than 50, most
of which you clearly haven’t read properly, or are irrelevant and off-topic.
If you need more assistance with reading, the Academic Skills Advice Service runs a
workshop on Critical Analysis When Reading. Visit our website for more information.
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References
Burns, P. (2010) Dogs Are Not Kids. [online] Available at:
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/dogs-are-not-kids.html
[Accessed 16.6.2014]
Buzan, T. (2006) The Buzan Study Skills Handbook. Harlow: BBC Active
Greetham, B. (2013) How to Write Better Essays. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Place, E., Kendall, M., Hiom, D., Booth, H., Ayres, P., Manuel, A., Smith, P. (2009)
Internet Detective: Wise up to the Web. 3rd ed. Intute Virtual Training Suite.
[online]. Available from: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/ [Accessed 1.7.2014]
Student Learning Advisory Service. Effective Reading. Canterbury: University of Kent.
[online] Available at:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/learning/documents/academic-support/learningresources/effectivereading.docx [Accessed 13.6.2014]
Clip art: Question
Answers
Activity 1: Different texts (my slides 4 and 5)
Textbooks
Professional digests
News sources
Non-official documents
Guidelines
Committee papers
Reports-Official documents
Visual text
Monographs
Research journals
Popular media (e.g. newspapers)
Policies
Design specifications
Conference proceedings
Reports
Webpages
Notes
A periodical = a publication that comes out on a regular (periodic) basis: every day,
every week, every month, every two months, etc.
A journal = a more scholarly or academic periodical that may be general but often
covers a specific subject area.
A magazine = a periodical that covers general subject areas and popular culture
topics and is directed at a mainstream audience.
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and Activity 2: Reading with purpose
Press conference: Scan to see what Amnesty says about political prisoners and their
detention
A. Job of secretary: Skim for an overview and then scan to identify those things
that were discussed at the last meeting and were to be raised again at this
meeting.
B. Latest novel: Not wanting to miss anything, you read for depth.
C. Scholarship grant: Your read them carefully and with depth, like you would a
legal document, until you are completely clear one way or the other whether
you qualify.
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