READING SKILLS

Use this sheet to help you:

• develop 10 strategies to improve your reading

5 minute self-test
What do you find difficult about reading at university? Tick the boxes below:

 Finding enough time and energy

 Maintaining concentration
 Improving speed
 Managing vocabulary
 Selecting what to focus on in texts
 Understanding new, theoretical or detailed information
 Identifying main points and arguments
 Evaluating evidence
 Identifying similarities and differences between texts
 Reading texts that assume background knowledge & experience
 Reading different types of text (case studies, reports, literature reviews
etc.)

Read on for advice on addressing these difficulties.

© The University of Melbourne 2010.

These materials were produced by the Teaching and Learning Unit, University of Melbourne. The University of Sydney
has reproduced these materials under licence from the University of Melbourne.
 Helpsheet

READING SKILLS

Introduction
The reading demands of university study are not easy. Unfortunately, however, it is all
too common for students to pay little attention to their own approaches to reading,
that is, how they read, and how they can improve the effectiveness and speed of their
reading.

This helpsheet provides extensive reading advice. Furthermore, the helpsheet provides
reading tips that are specific for particular text types and for the purposes you may
have.

Before you read this advice, you may find it worth reflecting on the nature of the
reading that you conduct at university. This may help you consider which of the
following tips might be particularly useful. The following section may help you do this.

What you read at university

You may be expected to read a wide range of texts that include the course reading
pack, lecture slides, books, journal articles, internet articles, newspapers, research
reports, literature reviews, case studies and strategic plans.

Why you read at university

You may read to: prepare for lectures and tutorials, review information addressed in
lectures and tutorials, conduct research for assignments, or revise for exams.

What reading abilities you need

Beyond being able to simply understand texts, you will need to critique them, evalu-
ate them, compare and contrast them, and apply the information you find useful
from them.

Effective reading: general advice

The following advice may seem obvious, but is important.

• Consider where you read. Always read in a well-lit and quiet place that is free of
distractions, and don’t get into the habit of reading uni materials in bed! (unless you
want to go to sleep).
• Don’t vocalise as you read. This will slow you down, it won’t help concentration, and
it will lead to bad reading approaches.
• Read at times when you can concentrate, and maintain concentration by taking
regular short breaks, perhaps every 30 or 45 minutes.
• Set yourself reading tasks (10 pages, 1 chapter, 1 section of a chapter etc).
• Remember that reading often takes longer than you expect and you often need to
go beyond set texts. Give yourself enough time!

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Reading strategy 1: purposeful reading

If you tend to begin reading like this: “I need to read Chapter 6 – here it goes! …”, you
may need to rethink your approach. Specifically, you will need to create a purpose for
reading. You can create this purpose if you:

Refer to:
• assessment tasks
• lecture slides
• tutorial questions
• textbook questions

Create:
• questions based on lectures or tutorials
• questions based on a skim of the text
• (contents, headings, subheadings, diagrams, introductions, etc)

Consider:
• what you already know
• related knowledge or experiences

Be very clear about exactly what you are looking for. Don’t just read aimlessly. Perhaps
you will look for answers to questions, general understanding of a topic or issue, detailed
knowledge, a range of perspectives, identification of a writer’s position, evaluation of
a writer’s position, arguments that support your position, arguments that oppose your
position, examples, statistics, definitions, explanations, quotes, etc. Try to have the
purpose in writing nearby so you maintain focus.

Purposeful reading of this nature can help you read faster and more selectively. It can
also help your concentration and your ability to remember.

Reading strategy 2: scanning

Scanning is reading quickly to search for specific information. You may not realise it, but
you are already good at scanning. You scan, for example, when checking a TV guide
or a phone book. Scanning may allow you to ‘read’ up to 1,500 words a minute.

One reason to scan an academic text that you have found while researching is to
locate key terms as a means to assess the text’s relevance.

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READING SKILLS

Reading strategy 3: skimming

Skimming is reading quickly to gain a general idea. Skimming may allow you to ‘read’
up to 1000 words a minute.

Skimming helps you identify whether or not to continue reading, what to read carefully,
and where the best place is to begin. Skimming an academic text immediately before
you read it carefully can help you consider what you already know and can help you
develop a purpose for reading. An initial skim can also help maximise your interest in
the text and your understanding and reflection on the material.

As with scanning, skimming does not involve reading every word. Instead, you may skim
by reading:

• titles
• subheadings
• words in that are in bold, in italics or underlined
• diagrams
• a report’s abstract, introduction or conclusion
• the first sentence of every paragraph
• chapter questions
• chapter objectives
• chapter summaries

Inrtetsneig fcat!
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer is at the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Reading strategy 4: information words

There will be times when you need to do more than skim a text in the way described
above, but still need to read quickly. This may require ability to conduct “surface
reading”.

It is worth remembering that no more than 50% of the words in an average textbook are
“information” words. The other words are like glue and paint: they are there to provide
connections and add interest, but are not essential for meaning. If you concentrate on
information words, you can read faster and with better comprehension.

But, how do you learn to pick out the important information words? A large part of the
trick involves paying attention to what the author is trying to say. Look for the message,
and the information words will emerge naturally.

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READING SKILLS

Activity: Read the following four paragraphs and see if you can get a sense
of the general meaning by only reading the information words that are fea-
tured.

1. Some advertisements __________ undesirable effects __________. One form __________ ad-
vertising suggests __________ buying __________ brings happiness. __________ more __________
happier __________ feel. Parents in particular __________ under pressure __________ this form
__________. Advertisements __________ expensive toys __________ imply __________ greater
pleasure than lower priced __________.

2. _______example __________ children ___happier __________ video game than __________

__________ Scrabble. _____ _____ not true. __________ opposite __________ more likely. Adver-
tisements __________ make __________ people __________ more discontented.

3. Another form __________ undesirable advertising __________ associates __________ prod-

ucts __________ success. __________ example __________ washing powder __________ linked
__________ promotion ____ work, or __________ toothpaste.

4. __________ success __________ attracting __________ boyfriend ___ girlfriend. __________ ef-
fect __________ these advertisements __________ encourage __________ false idea __________
success. Genuine success
__________ earned __________ effort: __________ not __________ money.

Reading strategy 5: phrase reading

Watch the eyes of a friend or a member of your family while he or she is reading. You
will see that they move along each line of print in a series of jerks. The pauses between
the jerks are known as fixations. It is during the fixations that your eyes take in words.

Poor readers take in only one or two words in each fixation.

| This is | how a | poor | reader’s| eyes move | along | lines| of print. |

A good reader, on the other hand, takes in several words in each fixation

| This is how | a better reader’s | eyes move along | lines of print.|

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Activity: Read the two sentences below, focusing only on the highlighted
words

Today it is more important that ever to be able to read fluently. For example, if you
are a car-driver you have to be able to read a great many road signs.

What are the two sentences mainly about?  reading  writing  travelling

Which word completes the first sentence? …to read …  slowly  fast fluently

Which example of writing is mentioned in the second sentence?  application forms

 road signs  advertisements

Nouns and verbs are the key words you need to focus on

Activity: Quickly “surface read” the two paragraphs below, paying attention
only to the nouns and verbs. Can you get the basic meaning of the
paragraphs just from this quick read?

Solar energy is released by atomic reactions in the sun. Solar cells can capture
sunlight and convert it to electrical energy. One of the latest ideas is to send huge
collecting panels into orbit around the earth. There, in perpetual sunlight, they could
capture light energy, and convey it to antennae on the earth’s surface. It could
then be converted into electricity.

One of man’s oldest source of power, water, has the additional advantages of
being reusable and clean. The energy of water as it rushes downhill in pipes, gives
hydroelectric schemes the power to turn their turnings and produce electricity.
Wave power is another method for using the energy of water to drive generators for
producing electricity. Tidal energy makes use of the ebb and flow of tides in partially
enclosed basins, such as the Bay of Fundy, in Canada, which has a tidal range of 16
metres!

Reading strategy 6: analytical reading

Analytical reading (or study reading) is needed when you want to make sure that you
fully grasp and appreciate what you are reading. You may have to read statements
more than once, stop to think about them, or jot down key words when using this style.
As a result, your reading rate can easily drop to below 100 words a minute.

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Activity: Read the following for an example of when slow, careful reading
may be needed.

One of the first things that should be done in the evaluation of structural equation
models is an assessment of the adequacy of input data and the statistical assump-
tion underlying any estimation methods used in the analysis. (Bagozzi and Yi, 1988, p.
76)

Is there an easy way to read analytically? No. It can great time and effort.

Reading strategy 7: marking the text

If the text you are reading is your own copy, you could also underline key words,
highlight with a marker, or make notes in margins, or alternatively, if you don’t own the
text, you could use little ‘post-it’ labels.

This process of marking texts can help you concentrate (and keep reading!) and can
help you identify key points and make the book easier to survey later when you need to
use it again for your assignment or to revise for an exam. revise effectively later

Reading strategy 8: note-taking

If you don’t take notes well, or don’t take them at all, now is the time to develop this
essential skill! Note-taking can help you gain deeper understanding and reflection, a
better ability to remember and good exam preparation materials for later.

When taking notes, pay keep in mind the following 7 principles:

1. Record publication details

Always note publication details of any text you may use. Specifically, record such
things as the title, author, date, publisher, place of publication, URL, and page
numbers.

2. Preview the text before you take notes

As mentioned earlier, scan, skim and ‘surface read’ the text before noting to help
you develop understanding of the text and awareness of what is important to note.
Taking notes of everything is a slow, boring, ineffective exercise.

3. Maintain a central place for your notes.

Where record your notes is up to you. Some people prefer using a computer, while
others use flash cards, folders, or exercise books. What is important is that you will
be able to find the notes and understand their layout and content a few weeks or
months later.

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4. Paraphrase and summarise ideas

Writing out sentences word for word is probably even less useful than just highlighting
sentences with a marker. Sure, they will be times you need write things word for
word (use quotation marks when you do this!) but better understanding will come
through putting things in your own words. Not sure how to do this? Say the key
points in your own words out loud and then write them down. Finish by checking
your paraphrase is clear and accurate.

5. Note your thoughts

Don’t forget the great value of noting beyond just what is said in the text. Note
down such things as your ideas, points you agree or disagree with, relevant
experiences, questions, examples, and relationships with other texts. Those initial
thoughts you have as you read may be of great use later, and it is a mistake to risk
forgetting them.

6. Be creative
Consider how you should note different parts of texts as well as just what you should
note. The process of thinking about how to note can aid understanding as well
as ability to remember information and reflect. Depending on the nature of the
information you wish to note, you may choose to use spider diagrams, concept
maps, titles, columns, dot points, numbers, symbols, colours, pictures or columns for
your reflections.

7. Review your notes

Once you have completed some notes, always look back at them and check: 1.
they are accurate, 2. they are readable, 3. you will be able to use them later and 4.
they contain full reference details.

Reading strategy 9: managing vocabulary

Even if you are a native English speaker, you may at times feel overwhelmed by the
amount of unfamiliar vocabulary you encounter. Of course, as a university student, you
have a great opportunity and need to build you vocabulary (discipline specific and
general), so consult glossaries and use a dictionary. Keep a list of new words: record
their definitions and write example sentences which show meaning and usage.

When using your dictionary, be discerning. Know which words can be ignored, and see
if it is possible to guess the meanings of words. You may be able do this if you:

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1. Guess using context:
The patient suffered from respiratory ailments, skin problems, anacritis, and hypertension

What could anacritis mean? (NB. Not a real word!)

2. Guess using prefixes, suffixes and word stems

• Antichocoflavourism
• Aquaengineacousticology

What could these words mean? (NB. Not real words!)

Reading strategy 10: reading with others

Consider getting a “study buddy” or study group. Be careful to keep focussed on what
you need to do and you may find that by sharing notes, explaining, asking and quizzing
each other, you can increase you ability to understand, reflect upon and remember
key points in texts.

Finally
If you continue to find reading difficult, remember this:

Reading at university level is difficult!

However, if you put in the time and effort you may start to enjoy the challenge!

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