Reading for study

1. Don't feel like you have to read a whole book or article. Contents pages, indexes and section headers or using they keyboard command control F to scan texts  can help you hone in on the information you need. 

2. Get the jist of an article or part of a book by skim reading it. Run your eyes rapidly over the page, letting words and phrases ‘jump out’ at you. This can help you identify the sections that you should read in more detail that may help you in your research. 

3. Read a whole paragraph or section before you even think about writing notes or highlight anything. (Do not write on books you do not own!)

4. Building your knowledge is key. If you're unfamiliar with a topic start off reading general information from a source such as a general topic book in the library, Encyclopedia Britannica or BBC Bitesize. 

5. Note and look up words you don't know or use an online summarising tool to simplify the text if it is really dense (see below). Don't get bogged down with this. 

6. Ask yourself questions while you read. These will vary depending on your subject but they could include. What is this about? What is it trying to tell me? What is the purpose of this text? Does this support/ contradict other material? 

Read & Write: You can use the Read & Write extension in Google Chrome to help with reading

Text Compactor: This free online tool can help summarise complex and overwhelming amounts of information so it is quicker to read and get an overall picture

Rewordify: If you're struggling with text that has lots of unfamiliar words in it, this free online tool which simplifies text  while teaching you what those words mean. 

Baratta, A. (2020) Read critically. London: Sage Publications Ltd.