1.0 EFFECTIVE READING

1.1 Reading with a purpose

Putting yourself in control of your own reading is essential for success, but it also means taking some risks. You cannot read everything, and you cannot read everything in the same way. You have to decide why you are reading and what you want to get out of it, and this means selecting what to read and how much attention to give certain parts of your reading.

Establishing your purpose will determine the approach and depth of your reading:

• a set text or wider reading?
• for a lecture?
• for a tutorial/seminar?
• for an assignment?
• for an exam?

1.1.1.1 Set Texts

Before reading in detail, get an overall perspective of what you have to read:

• Look at the title, details about the author and the date of publication, and work out how the work fits in with other texts in the subject;
• Scan the contents page and the index to gain an overview of the area covered by the work, as well as of significant names and terms;
• Skim through the work, picking up key paragraphs and sentences, particularly the opening and closing sections of chapters or articles.

Then:

• Read the whole work carefully, noting major points and ideas in your own words, as well as sections to which you may wish to return later.

1.1.1.2 Wider Reading

Treat the texts as above, but in order to select suitable material, go through the first three steps - look, scan, and skim - with a number of works on the wider reading list before you read any of them in detail. This overview is an essential first step, and will help you to decide whether all or part of a work is worth careful reading and noting for your purposes.

1.1.1.3 New Material

If the subject area is new or unfamiliar, you will need to develop a basic understanding of the material.

• Consult an encyclopedia for a general introduction.
• Take note of new terms that keep recurring, making sure that you understand their meanings (and can spell them correctly) by looking them up in a dictionary or more specific reference work.

1.1.1.4 Reading for Assignments

If you find it hard to start your research, or if in earlier assignments you wasted time collecting more information than you could use, try these steps:

• Start with a book or article from the reading list which gives an overview of the topic.
• As you read, keep asking yourself exactly what you are looking for, and write down these questions as a guide to your reading.
• Keep doing the look, scan and skim procedure to make sure the material is both relevant to your needs, and that you are not duplicating information you have already found.
• Record the details of author, title, place of publication, publisher and date as you select each work so that you don't have the frustration of trying to find it again when preparing your reference list/bibliography. Record page numbers with any notes you take.
• Take notes from your reading as you would if you were reading for research purposes.

1.1.1.5 Reading for Revision

Use the SQ5R Method:

Revise diagrams as you would notes under the SQ5R method. Base your questions and summaries on the labelled parts and the relationships between the parts.

1.2 When reading is difficult

There are several strategies you can try:

• Be an active reader by asking yourself questions about what you are reading and how it relates to your research
• Prepare for reading by consulting your lecture notes beforehand for guidance and an overview.
• Turn section headings in the book or article into questions, and answer them in your own words after you have read the section.
• Break the reading into smaller sections and note one section at a time.
• If the language or style used make the work too difficult to grasp, seek help from your tutor or lecturer, who may be able to suggest a more straightforward introduction to the topic.

For assistance contact: paul.skrebels@unisa.edu.au
Copyright ©1997 University of South Australia
Prepared by the Flexible Learning Centre, University of South Australia
Prepared: 28 January 1997
URL: http://www-i.roma.unisa.edu.au/07118/language/effread.htm