Passion for reading is what drawn many humanities scholars to academia. Reading is also one of the foundations of any research. But these two types of reading are quite different in their purpose, and as a result, require different approaches. Academic texts in humanities are rarely (if ever) as enjoyable as their subject matter, which is logical—their goal tends to be much drier and more direct than fiction’s, and getting through them can be quite a challenge. There are some techniques that will help you to read efficiently and engage with scholarly texts in the best way possible.

1) If you’re just about to start your journey in a particular academic field, it makes sense to go first for introductory texts. They are usually somewhat simplified, but they will give you a basis on which it will be easier to build more nuanced and in-depth theories. Besides, by reading such introductions, you will familiarize yourself with the terminology. This will help you to successfully navigate a text on a narrower topic, whose author probably won’t have space to define every single term they use.

2) It is always a good idea to pay extra attention to the introduction and conclusion of a given academic text. Most authors would write these sections last after they have formed a clear vision of what they have discovered. Thus, an introduction is always really useful in placing the text, identifying its goals and tools, and understanding possible outcomes. By the same token, a conclusion is sure to sum up all the arguments and evidence of the text. These two sections are also a good way to revise a text’s main idea in case you need to refresh your memory before presenting a paper or writing an article.

3) Highlighting, making notes, and marking are all excellent tools to ease your engagement with the content as you dive into a text. Another good strategy is to take note of possible connections to what you’ve read already, your doubts, or things you’d like to know more about. It really helps if you establish a sort of a dialogue with what you are reading, in which you can ask questions or express some uncertainties. Unfortunately, unless you’re using Hogwarts library, the text will not actually respond to you. But such an approach is helpful for you getting your own understanding of the text and putting it into the context that is relevant to you.

4) Once you’ve finished reading a book, reading doesn’t actually end, because apart from the actual going through lines, reading also involves processing a text. If you’ve followed suggestions from the previous points, you’ve already helped yourself a lot with digesting the content. However, it is very important that you still engage more with the text even after closing the book. A great technique is to highlight three things that you personally find most useful, interesting, or thought-provoking. You should keep in mind that they may not necessarily be what the author underlined as their main ideas. Depending on how significant the text’s turned out to be, you can even create a mind map based on it or write a short review reflecting on what you liked or disliked.

The main point is that any text, whether academic or not, is in need of an active reader who will (and should) bring themselves into the text. The more you engage with the content, the more it will speak to you, making your reading more efficient and fun.