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Guide to: Academic Reading

Strategies for Reading

Strategies for Reading

Very few people sit down and read an entire academic article or book straight through from start to finish. Sometimes it's best to break up your reading into several shorter stretches, or read an article "out of order" or more than once to fully absorb the material. To make readings easier and your time more productive, try a few of these strategies.

Chunking

The chunking reading strategy involves breaking down a difficult text into more manageable pieces.After reading a chunk, you then write a small summary in your notes putting the main idea into simpler terms. You can use this strategy with challenging texts of any length. Chunking helps to identify key words and ideas, develops your ability to paraphrase, and makes it easier for them to organize and synthesize information

The Pomodoro Method

Image with text on it. Image has a wood grain cutting board back drop and there are tomato vines in each corner of the image. There are five tomatoes with text boxes underneath them. The text of the image reads: The Pomodoro method. Step 1. Select a single task to focus on (a class reading, writing an intro) Step 2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work continuously (no phones!) Step 3. Take a five minute break (stretch, get water, have a chat with a friend). Step 4. Repeat steps 1-3 4 times. Step 5 Take a 30 minute break! Repeat the process as many times as needed.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It uses a timer to break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student.

Investigate Your Sources. Before using a source, ask yourself the six questions. Who is the author? What type of source is it? When was it published? Where did you find it? Why was it written? How are sources cited?

Questions to Consider While you Read

Questions to Consider While You Read

When reading, it is important to interact with your text to better understand the content. You do this by asking questions as you read. The 5 W's and H is a good model of the kinds of questions you should ask while reading an academic text.

  • Who is the author? What is their background? What is their purpose in writing this?
  • What is the article saying? Does the article take a stance or simply report information?
  • When was the article published? How might the time period affect the article's content?
  • Where was the article published? Where is it taking place?
  • Why was this article written? Why was it published?
  • How was this writing published - did it go through a scholarly press? How did this author do their research - are the sources cited? 

These are just examples of the questions you should be thinking about when reading an academic text. The purpose of reading critically is to go beyond memorizing content and actually engage with the text. Do you agree with the main points? Do you disagree? Do you have questions? Do you wish the article explained anything better? What do you not understand? Make sure to jot down your thoughts while you read in your annotations or reading notes!

Note Taking Strategies

Why Should You Take Notes on your Reading?

Academic readings are packed full of information, and it can be difficult to recall specific details from articles when you're done reading. Taking notes while you read has proven to improve your memory of the content being read and you're overall understanding of it's main points. But how do you know what content you should be taking notes on? What is the best way to organize your thoughts? Below are some common note taking strategies that will help you get the most out of academic readings. There is no one size all note taking method, so try a variety of these methods or even try combining them to find what works the best for you!

Note: Research has shown that writing notes by hand (or with a stylus and tablet) is generally the best way to retain content. Consider this when deciding what medium to take your notes in.

Method 1: Annotation

Annotating is any action that deliberately interacts with a text to enhance the reader's understanding of, recall of, and reaction to the text. Sometimes called "close reading," annotating usually involves highlighting or underlining key pieces of text and making notes in the margins of the text. By annotating a text, you gain a better sense of what it is about and keep track of your own thoughts, questions, and reactions to the text for when you next have to discuss or use the reading. 

Here is a list of things you might want to annotate or highlight:

  • Terminology - you can highlight terms that seem important and write the definition of terms you don't know in the margin
  • The author's main points or conclusions - highlight or underline these and then write a few words about your understanding of them.
  • Parts of the text you have questions about - write down the actual question you have so you remember it later!
  • Your own thoughts about the reading and the author's main points 

Pro Tip: you can color code your highlighters and pen ink colors to indicate what that annotation is about - that way you know what your thoughts about that passage were from just a quick glance!

 

Method 2: Cornell Note Taking Method

The Cornell Notes system (also Cornell note-taking system, Cornell method, or Cornell way) is a note-taking system devised in the 1950s by Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University. 

To use the Cornell method, Divide your paper into three sections (whether by folding or drawing lines). Then label the three sections:

  • Note-Taking Area: Jot down your thoughts and questions about the reading here. Remember to reflect on the Questions to consider from earlier on this page. 
  • Cue Column: Once you're done reading, connect the main ideas of the reading in the cues section. You can include meaningful reminders and mnemonics, simple diagrams and Questions you can ask yourself at a later date to check whether you remember information. You can also keep track of important terms and their definitions in this column
  • Summaries: At the bottom of each page of notes, write a 3-4 sentence summary that encapsulates the main ideas of each page.

 

diagram illustrating the Cornell note-taking method: a 2.5 inch cue column on the left, a 6 inch note taking area on the right, and a 2 inch summary area at the bottom of the page 

Method 3: Concept Maps

 

Concept Mapping is a method for visualizing connections between large amounts of information. It's basically like creating an infographic or map for the content that you're reading, to help you best navigate through the content. It offers a way for you to write down everything you know about a topic without having to write it out in full paragraphs. This method is particularly useful if you're a visual learner - it can be a great way to visualize the key parts of an academic reading and organize them in the way that makes most sense to you!

Steps:

  1. Identify the main topic: What is the main point of the article as detailed in the abstract or introduction? Read the abstract, introduction, and conclusion to get a good sense of the article's thesis and put that tentatively at the center of your map.
  2. Organize your information into subtopics and main points: Once you've identified the main point of the article, start listing out key subtopics and points as laid out by the author. These points are usually found in the main body of the article under different subheadings. 
  3. Create your map: Once you're done reading, finalize your main topic and subtopics with the context of the whole article in mind. Then start connecting the spots of your map with branches to illustrate how they best connect. 
  4. Review your map to look for more connections: Once your information is mapped out, you might start to notice that some of your subtopics are connected to one another. Use arrows, symbols, or colours to show relationships between ideas. Ask yourself—How do these ideas fit together? Is the map accurate, logical, and detailed?
  5. Revisit your map in class or as you write your research project - The map will help you to discuss the article in class or figure out how best to use it in your own research. 

 

Image of a sample concept map, note note taking strategy discussed in this section. The top of the image says "concept map." There are six multi color boxes on the page. Some of them are connected to other boxes by hand drawn arrows. The text of the center box of the image says: Main Thesis of the Reading. Read the abstract, intro, and conclusion to get a sense of the main point of the article. Then read through and add on to this point as needed. Top left box says: Key Terms. Write down any terms you think are important or you don’t understand. Look up the definitions in the context of the discipline of the article and write them here as well! Middle left box says Color Coding Legend. If you like to color code your notes, write down what each color means! Bottom middle box: Subtopic Sum up important subtopics and explain how they relate to the main topic. this box is connected by an arrow to the bottom left box that says: Have any questions you want to address in class? Write them here!. On the bottom right, there is a box connected by arrow to both the subtopic one and main thesis box that says: Subtopic two Does this subtopic relate to just the main point? Or does it connect to the first subtopic as well? Draw arrows to indicate relationships! In the top right there is a box titled How will I use this information? it says write some notes on why this article was useful (or why you disagree with it!)

Remember: Concept maps are completely customizable to what works for you. This image is just an example of what kinds of things you could include on a concept map!