Effective Reading

From our: Study Skills library.

When studying, especially at higher levels, a great deal of time

is spent reading.
Academic reading should not be seen as a passive activity, but
an active process that leads to the development of learning.
Reading for learning requires a conscious effort to make links,
understand opinions, research and apply what you learn to your
studies.
This page covers the following areas: how reading develops, the goals of
reading, approaching reading with the right attitude and developing a reading
strategy.
Everything we read tells us something about the person who wrote it. Paying
close attention to how and why the author writes something will open
ourselves up to their perspective on life, which in turn enriches our
understanding of the world we live in.

How Reading Develops

Learning to read as a child usually results in the ability to read simple material
relatively easily.
As we develop our skills in reading, the process often becomes more challenging. We are
introduced to new vocabulary and more complex sentence structures. Early school textbooks
offer us facts or truths about the world which we are required to learn; we are not, at this stage
encouraged to question the authority of the writers of these published materials.
As schooling progresses however, we are led to consider a range of perspectives, or ways of
looking at a topic, rather than just one. We learn to compare these perspectives and begin to
form opinions about them.
This change in reading from a surface approach (gathering facts) to a deep approach
(interpreting) is essential in order to gain the most out of our studies.

Reading becomes not simply a way to see what is said but to recognise and interpret what is
said, taking into account subtleties such as bias, assumptions and the perspectives of the
author.

Academic reading, therefore, means understanding the authors interpretation

of reality, which may be very different from our own.

The Goal of Reading

Most of us read in everyday life for different purposes you are
reading this page now, for a purpose.
We read to gain factual information for practical use, for example, a train
timetable or a cinema listing. For such documents we rarely need to analyse
or interpret.
We may also read fiction in order to be entertained; depending upon the
reader, a level of interpretation may be applied, and if reading fiction as part of
an English Literature degree, then analysis of the authors writing style,
motives etc. is imperative.
Many of us read newspapers and magazines, either in print or online, to inform us about current
events. In some cases the bias of the writer is explicit and this leads us to interpret what is said
in light of this bias. It is therefore easy to view a particular article as a statement of opinion rather
than fact. Political biases, for example, are well know in the press.

When reading academic material such as textbooks, journals and so on, you
should be always reading to interpret and analyse. Nothing should be taken as
fact or truth. You will be engaged in, what is termed as, critical reading.
When you read while studying an academic course, your principal goal will be to gather
information in order to answer an assignment question or gain further information on a subject for
an exam or other type of assessment.
Underlying this is the more general theme of learning and development, to develop your
thoughts, to incorporate new ideas into your existing understanding, to see things from different
angles or view-points, to develop your knowledge and understanding and ultimately yourself.
Learning, therefore, comes about not from reading and remembering details, but from developing
your understanding of the meaning of the details. To engage with your ideas and opinions and
rethink them in a positive and constructive way.

Necessary Reading Materials

When you are engaged in formal study, for example at college
or university, there will be distinct areas of reading that you will
be directed towards.
These may include:

Course Materials
Course materials will vary considerably from one institution to another and
also across different disciplines and for different teachers.
You may be given course materials in the form of a book, especially if you are taking a distancelearning course, or in hand-outs in lectures. Such materials may also be available online via a
virtual learning environment (VLE).
You may be expected to make your own notes from lectures and seminars based around the
syllabus of the course. The course materials are your main indication of what the course is
about, the main topics covered and usually the assessment required. Course materials also
often point you to other types of reading materials.

Core Texts
Core texts are the materials, usually books, journals or trusted online
resources which you will be directed to via the course materials.
Core texts are essential reading, their aim is usually to expand on the subjects, discussions and
arguments presented in the course materials, or through lectures etc. Remember that core texts
are primarily what you will be assessed on. You will need to demonstrate comprehension of
theories and ideas from these texts in your assignments.

Suggested Reading
As well as indicating core texts, reading lists may also recommend other
sources of material.
Suggested reading will not only increase your comprehension of a subject area but will potentially
greatly enhance the quality of your written work.

Other Sources
Perhaps one of the most important academic reading skills is to identify your
own additional reading materials.
Do not just stick to what you have been told to read but expand your knowledge further by
reading as much as you can around the subjects you are studying. Keep a note of everything

relevant you have read, either in print or online, as you will need this information for your
reference list or bibliography when producing an assignment.

See our page: Academic Referencing for more information on how to reference
correctly.

Attitudes to Reading
Often, when we begin to read books relating to a new topic, we find that the
language and style are difficult to follow.
This can be off-putting and disheartening, but persevere; specialist subject areas will contain
their own specialist language which you will need to learn. Perseverance will mean that you
become more familiar with the style of writing and the vocabulary or jargon associated with the
specific subject area.
More generally, academic writing tends to use a very cautious style or language. The writer may
seem to use elaborate, long sentences, but this is usually to ensure that they are saying precisely
what they mean.

See our page: Writing Styles for more information about the various styles of writing
that you are likely to encounter.
A useful aid to reading is to have a good quality dictionary to hand; however, you may find a
specialist dictionary is necessary for some subject areas there are many free online
dictionaries also. Even though a dictionary can be useful, it should not be relied upon too
heavily. Dictionaries do not often take into account the context and, therefore, you may not fully
grasp the meaning the author intended by simply looking up a word or phrase.
Fundamentally it is important to remain detached from, and be objective towards, what
you are reading, in order to see and understand the logic within an argument. Objectivity
differs from subjectivity which means bringing your own emotions and opinions to what you read.
Being objective allows you to stand back and be emotionally detached from your reading. This
allows you to focus attention upon what you are reading and not on your feelings about what you
read.
It helps if you have a genuine interest in the subject that you are reading about. If you find
that you are reading something that is designated as relevant then it is important to try to develop
an interest so that you may get out of it what is required. You may, in such circumstances, find it
useful to ask yourself questions as you read, such as: Why does the author find this theme
interesting or important?, How does what Im reading relate to what I already know about the
topic?

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Critical Reading and Reading

Strategy
From our: Study Skills library.

What is Critical Reading?

Reading critically does not, necessarily, mean being critical of
what you read.
Both reading and thinking critically dont mean being critical
about some idea, argument, or piece of writing - claiming that it
is somehow faulty or flawed.
Critical reading means engaging in what you read by asking
yourself questions such as, what is the author trying to say?
or what is the main argument being presented?
Critical reading involves presenting a reasoned argument that evaluates and
analyses what you have read. Being critical, therefore - in an academic sense means advancing your understanding, not dismissing and therefore closing
off learning.
See also: Listening Types to learn about the importance of critical listening skills.
To read critically is to exercise your judgement about what you are reading that is, not
taking anything you read at face value.

When reading academic material you will be faced with the authors interpretation and opinion.
Different authors will, naturally, have different slants. You should always examine what you are
reading critically and look for limitations, omissions, inconsistencies, oversights and arguments
against what you are reading.
In academic circles, whilst you are a student, you will be expected to understand different
viewpoints and make your own judgements based on what you have read.

Critical reading goes further than just being satisfied with

what a text says, it also involves reflecting on what the text
describes, and analysing what the text actually means, in the
context of your studies.
As a critical reader you should reflect on:

What the text says: after critically reading a piece you should be able to take notes,
paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.

What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the text
sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast with other writing on
the subject in hand.

Interpretation of the text: this means that you should be able to fully analyse the text
and state a meaning for the text as a whole.
Critical reading means being able to reflect on what a text says, what it describes and what it
means by scrutinising the style and structure of the writing, the language used as well as the
content.

Critical Thinking is an Extension of Critical Reading

Thinking critically, in the academic sense, involves being open-minded - using
judgement and discipline to process what you are learning about without
letting your personal bias or opinion detract from the arguments.
Critical thinking involves being rational and aware of your own feelings on the
subject being able to reorganise your thoughts, prior knowledge and
understanding to accommodate new ideas or viewpoints.
Critical reading and critical thinking are therefore the very foundations of true
learning and personal development.
See our page: Critical Thinking for more.

Developing a Reading Strategy

You will, in formal learning situations, be required to read and
critically think about a lot of information from different sources.
It is important therefore, that you not only learn to read critically
but also efficiently.
The first step to efficient reading is to become selective.
If you cannot read all of the books on a recommended reading list, you need to find a way of
selecting the best texts for you. To start with, you need to know what you are looking for. You can
then examine the contents page and/or index of a book or journal to ascertain whether a chapter
or article is worth pursuing further.

Once you have selected a suitable piece the next step is to speed-read.
Speed reading is also often referred to as skim-reading or scanning. Once you have identified a
relevant piece of text, like a chapter in a book, you should scan the first few sentences of each
paragraph to gain an overall impression of subject areas it covers. Scan-reading essentially
means that you know what you are looking for, you identify the chapters or sections most relevant
to you and ignore the rest.
When you speed-read you are not aiming to gain a full understanding of the arguments or topics
raised in the text. It is simply a way of determining what the text is about.
When you find a relevant or interesting section you will need to slow your reading speed
dramatically, allowing you to gain a more in-depth understanding of the arguments raised. Even
when you slow your reading down it may well be necessary to read passages several times to
gain a full understanding.

See also: Speed-Reading for Professionals.

Following SQ3R
SQ3R is a well-known strategy for reading. SQ3R can be applied to a whole
range of reading purposes as it is flexible and takes into account the need to
change reading speeds.
SQ3R is an acronym and stands for:

Survey

Question

Read

Recall

Review

Survey
This relates to speed-reading, scanning and skimming the text. At this initial stage you will be
attempting to gain the general gist of the material in question.

Question
It is important that, before you begin to read, you have a question or set of questions that will
guide you - why am I reading this? When you have a purpose to your reading you want to learn
and retain certain information. Having questions changes reading from a passive to an active
pursuit. Examples of possible questions include:

What do I already know about this subject?

How does this chapter relate to the assignment question?

How can I relate what I read to my own experiences?

Read
Now you will be ready for the main activity of reading. This involves careful consideration of the
meaning of what the author is trying to convey and involves being critical as well as active.

Recall
Regardless of how interesting an article or chapter is, unless you make a concerted effort to
recall what you have just read, you will forget a lot of the important points. Recalling from time to
time allows you to focus upon the main points which in turn aids concentration. Recalling gives
you the chance to think about and assimilate what you have just read, keeping you active. A
significant element in being active is to write down, in your own words, the key points.

Review
The final step is to review the material that you have recalled in your notes. Did you understand
the main principles of the argument? Did you identify all the main points? Are there any gaps?

Do not take for granted that you have recalled everything you need correctly review the text
again to make sure and clarify.

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