Active Reading Strategies

What is academic reading?

Casual reading across genres, from books and magazines to newspapers and blogs, is something students should be encouraged to do in their free time because it can be both educational and fun. In college, however, instructors generally expect students to read resources that have particular value in the context of a course. Why is academic reading beneficial?

1. Information comes from reputable sources: Academic sources such as textbooks and scholarly journal articles are usually written by experts in the field and have to pass stringent peer review requirements in order to get published.

2. Learn how to form arguments: In most college classes when instructors ask you to write a paper, they expect it to be argumentative in style. This means that the goal of the paper is to research a topic and develop an argument about it using evidence and facts to support your position. Since many college reading assignments are written in a similar style, you’ll gain experience studying their strategies and learning to emulate them.

3. Exposure to different viewpoints: One purpose of assigned academic readings is to give students exposure to different viewpoints and ideas. Such experience can help you wrestle with ideas and beliefs in new ways and develop a better understanding of how others’ views differ from your own.

What are active reading strategies for academic texts?

To get started, these are two important tips for preparing to be active while reading.

1. Work when you are fully awake, and give yourself enough time to read a text more than once.  

2. Foster an attitude of intellectual curiosity. You might not love all of the writing you’re asked to read and analyze, but you should have something interesting to say about it, even if that “something” is critical.

#1: PRSR - Preview, Read, Summarize & Review Method

Effective reading requires more engagement than just reading the words on the page. Actively reading academic texts can be challenging for students who are used to reading for entertainment alone, but practicing the following steps will get you up to speed:

Preview (P) 

• You can gain insight from an academic text before you even begin the reading assignment. For example, if you are assigned a nonfiction book, read the title, the back of the book, and table of contents. Scanning this information can give you an initial idea of what you’ll be reading and some useful context for thinking about it. You can also start to make connections between the new reading and knowledge you already have, which is another strategy for retaining information.

Read (R)

• While you read an academic text, you should have a pen or pencil in hand. Circle or highlight key concepts. Write questions or comments in the margins or in a notebook.  This will help you remember what you are reading and also build a personal connection with the subject matter.

Summarize (S) 

• After you read an academic text, it’s worth taking the time to write a short summary—even if your instructor doesn’t require it. The exercise of jotting down a few sentences or a short paragraph capturing the main ideas of the reading is enormously beneficial: it not only helps you understand and absorb what you read but gives you ready study and review materials for exams and other writing assignments.

Review (R) 

• It always helps to revisit what you’ve read for a quick refresher. It may not be practical to thoroughly reread assignments from start to finish, but before class discussions or tests, it’s a good idea to skim through them to identify the main points, reread any notes at the ends of chapters, and review any summaries you’ve written.

#2: SQ3R - Survey, Question, Read, Recite & Review Method

SQ3R helps you to create a good mental framework of a subject, into which you can fit the right facts. It helps you to set study goals and prompts you to use review techniques that will help you to remember. The acronym SQ3R stands for the five sequential techniques you should use to read a book: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.

Survey or Skim (S)

• Scan the entire chapter or reading to get an overview of the material. Read the headings to see the major points. Read the introductory paragraphs and the summary at the end of the chapter. Do not forget to look at the tables, pictures, etc. Remember, you are scanning the material and not actually reading every sentence.

Question (Q)

• Make questions that can be answered during the reading of the material. This will give the purpose while reading to answer your questions. One tip is to take the headings and turn them into questions.. For example, if a heading in a chapter about Cell Division is in your biology text, make a question by turning the title around: “How does cell division occur?” or “How many steps are involved in cell division?”

Read (R)

• Now you read the material and find answers to your questions. This is a careful reading, line by line. You may want to take notes or make flashcards.

Recite (R)

• Close or look away from your book and notes and try to explain what you read and/or answer your questions. This checks your learning and helps put that information in your memory.

Review (R)

• Read over the chapter and your notes paying attention to the main points.  To check your memory, scan portions of the material or your notes to verify your answers.  This review step helps you retain the material.

What are other strategies for staying active while reading? [5]

The following are very effective strategies for being active while reading.  You'll notice that each one requires you to be doing something - writing and/or drawing.

#3: Write While You Read (Annotation)

• Write in Your Books/Materials: You can underline and circle key terms, or write questions and comments in the margins of your books or other materials such as articles. The writing serves as a visual aid for studying and makes it easier for you to remember what you’ve read or what you’d like to discuss in class. If you are borrowing a book or want to keep it unmarked so you can resell it later, try writing keywords and notes on Post-its and sticking them on the relevant pages.

• Annotate the text: Annotations typically mean writing notes about the text. This is a great way to “digest” information while reading, and evaluate the sources you’re collecting for a research paper.  It is also an invaluable strategy for shorter assignments and texts since it requires you to actively think and write about what you read. The activity, below, will give you practice annotating texts.

#4: Create Mind Maps

Mind maps are effective visuals tools for students, as they highlight the main points of readings or lessons. Think of a mind map as an outline with more graphics than words. For example, if a student were reading an article about America’s First Ladies, she might write, “First Ladies” in a large circle in the center of a piece of paper. Connected to the middle circle would be lines or arrows leading to smaller circles with visual representations of the women discussed in the article. Then, these circles might branch out to even smaller circles containing the attributes of each of these women.

How does reading help you learn?

If you want to be a better swimmer, you practice. If you want to be a better magician, you practice. If you want to be a better reader, you practice. I encourage you to read. Read, read, read. Read newspapers. Read magazines. Read books. Use your library card (get one if you don’t have one). Read blogs. Read tweets. Read Wikipedia articles. Read about history, politics, world leaders, current events, sports, art, music—whatever interests you. Why? Because the more you read, the better reader you become. And because the more you read, the more knowledge you will have. That is an important piece in learning and understanding. When we are learning new information, it’s easier to learn if we have some kind of background knowledge about it.

Reading and learning are processes that work together. Students draw on prior knowledge and experiences to make sense of new information. “Research shows that if learners have advanced knowledge of how the information they’re about to learn is organized — if they see how the parts relate to the whole before they attempt to start learning the specifics — they’re better able to comprehend and retain the material.”[3]

• For example, you are studying astronomy and the lecture is about Mars. Students with knowledge of what Mars looks like, or how it compares in size to other planets or any information about Mars will help students digest new information and connect it to prior knowledge. The more you read, the more background knowledge you have, and the better you will be able to connect information and learn. “Content overlap between text and knowledge appears to be a necessary condition for learning from text.”[4]

Tip: Prepare Yourself For Difficult Academic Reading by Expanding Your Familiarity with the Concepts

Use the vast resources that are available to you on the internet.  For example, if you are going to read a chemistry textbook, experiment with listening to or watching a podcast or a YouTube video on the subject you are studying.  Ask your instructor if they recommend specific websites for further understanding.  By familiarizing yourself with the concepts before or while reading the textbook, you'll increase your understanding.

Where can I get help at Aims?

• Aims Writing Center: Its mission is to help students develop skills and confidence in all stages of the writing process including reading academic texts.  It is located in the Learning Commons and is staffed with a friendly, professional tutor team who want to help you.  The Writing Center provides drop-in and scheduled tutoring appointments. Students are also welcome to use the Writing Center as a place to sit and write. It is sometimes helpful to start an assignment in the Writing Center since the staff can help you fully understand the instructions and get a good start on your assignment.  

  • NOTE: When you make an appointment, indicate your interest in improving your academic reading skills.  The tutors have a structured program to build and strengthen your skills in this area.

• Aims Online Writing Lab (OWL) - This comprehensive website is available 24/7 and includes a repository of tips, exercises, and tutorials for writing and reading.

• Aims Writers’ Community -  This Aims program organizes writing skills workshops and events for students and faculty each semester.