Study Skills Guides

Use this Study Skills Guide if you need assistance with, or

more information about:

Stages of reading................................................................................. 2
Preparation.................................................................................. 2
Reading techniques............................................................................. 4
SQ3R..................................................................................................... 6
Speed of reading.................................................................................8
Improving the speed of reading..........................................................9
Reading difficult material...................................................................10
Using multiple sources.......................................................................11
Critical thinking when reading............................................................12
Reading and making notes.................................................................12
Reflection, Re-reading and Revision..................................................14

Stages of reading:
As part of your study programme, you will be
expected to undertake a considerable variety and
quantity of reading. However, reading is not
simply about picking up a book and ploughing
through it as quickly as you can. If you are to
make the most efficient use of your reading time,
there are a number of stages of reading that you
may benefit from going through. These stages will
invariably differ according to the purpose of your
reading which will, in turn, determine the
technique that you use. The first important stage
is that of preparation.
Preparation:
Before you even begin the task of reading, it is important to ensure that the
material you have selected is suitable for your needs. Although this may seem
like common sense, it is quite easy to pick up a book that is not actually
appropriate. This can lead to a lot of time wasted.
First, refer to your module or programme outline for the reading list. Examine this
list and highlight the books that look interesting and appropriate. Remember that
there is likely to be a lot of demand for the same few books so consider also
searching for material that is not contained in this list. However, ensure that the
book is relevant for your needs and is not out-of-date.
You are expected to read widely; do not just use those sources included in the
reading list. There is a wealth of information out there and it is anticipated that
you will explore as many different sources as you can.
There are a number of features of a book or journal that can be checked in order
to further ensure that you have selected a suitable source. These organisational
features can provide you with an overview of whether the book is actually worth
spending time on:
Title page:
Check the title and any sub-heading - does it seem relevant to your need? The
title page can provide some indication whether or not the book or article is in your
general field of interest as well information about the level of the literature, the
author's name and qualifications, and the year of publication.

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Front and back cover:

Read the back cover, sleeve notes, or preface (the sleeve notes often borrow
from the preface or introduction to the book). This will give you an idea of the
author's scope and intention in writing the book.
The table of contents:
This gives you information about the scope of the book, the way it is organised,
and the main chapters and sections. It is a valuable source of information in
signposting the issues to be raised.
The index:
Turn to the back of the book and glance through the index for key words of
relevance can be a more detailed source of information about the book. This is
particularly useful if you are looking for
references on a specific topic.
The preface:
The 'preface', 'author's remarks', 'foreword' or
'introduction' will often give you an overview of
the writer's intention and assumptions. This can
be particularly useful where there are different
views about a topic, as is often the case in the
social sciences, for example.
The abstract:
In the case of articles, some contain an abstract
or brief account of the contents which should tell you if it is worth proceeding
further. Even if the article does not have an abstract at the beginning, it is useful
to read the first paragraph in order to get some indication of whether it is worth
reading. Some journals have a list of keywords at the beginning of articles, which
allows you to assess whether or not the article is in your field of interest.
Surveying a chapter:
You may wish to look at one chapter in greater depth. Look to see if there are
summaries at either the beginning or the end of the chapters. Where they exist,
you will save yourself a great deal of time by reading a Conclusion, Summary
or Key questions to check your understanding of this chapter. Headings and
sub-headings are also valuable in setting the scene as well as helping the reader
to navigate the text.
Bibliographies and footnotes:
Both footnotes and bibliographies can give an indication of the scope of the book
or article and help you to judge whether it falls within your range of interest. In
addition they can be a useful source of further avenues for research into your
topic.

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____________________________________________________________
Task:

Spend a few moments to familiarise yourself with the organisational

features of a book. Select any textbook that is close to hand and refer to
the organisational features contained within it. What do these features tell
you about the book?

Reading techniques:
Having established the purpose for your reading and gathered
suitable sources, you are now ready to begin the task of reading.
There are a number of basic techniques which can be employed
depending upon the purpose for reading. When you read, you
are already using these different techniques but you may not be
aware that you are doing so. This is because after many years of
reading different types of material you take these techniques for
granted, not thinking about them when you use them.
It is important, however, to be aware of the different reading techniques in order
that you are able to use them more effectively and appropriately.
Scanning:
This technique involves moving your eyes quickly over a text to find something or
to see whether it contains anything you want to read. When using this technique,
for example looking for a number in a telephone directory, you may be looking for
a topic or phrase or searching more generally for words that are relevant to your
task. Scanning, in contrast to skimming (see below), is useful when you are
interested in finding out not so much the general drift, but rather whether or not
the chapter or article addresses your particular area of concern.
Skimming:
Skimming involves looking quickly through the whole book, passage or text to get
a general sense of what it is about. You read as little as you can while still picking
up some idea of what is being discussed. Refer to the subheadings and a couple
of sentences from each paragraph (the first and last sentence). The main aim of
this reading technique is to ascertain the main ideas. If you are skimming you
should skip over any material, which develops, further explains, qualifies or
illustrates, or provides evidence for the main idea. Skimming is a method to help
you find relevant material quickly - it is not a substitute for detailed reading and
analysis of that material.

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Rapid reading:
This technique is somewhat similar to skim reading in that you progress quickly
through a text by not reading every word, sentence or paragraph. Unlike skim
reading, however, with rapid reading you make fast progress because you are
already familiar with the material. What you are doing is half reading and half
filling the gaps from memory. Rapid reading is useful, therefore, for re-reading
already familiar material and revision.
Reading in-depth:
With some material unless you work your way through the ideas in the order in
which the author has arranged them, and take in the examples or other
explanatory material provided, proper understanding will be difficult. Therefore, it
may be necessary to read the material in full. If using this technique, try reading
section by section or a few pages at a time. Read each section a few times over
and take a few notes (refer to the Notetaking and Note-making Study Skills
Guide in this series).
Critical reading:
Like in-depth reading, critical reading involves gaining a complete understanding
of what has been written. It also involves evaluating the ideas put forward, the
way they have been presented and how the authors ideas fit with other writers in
the same field. Therefore, reading critically can take time and require a high level
of concentration (see Critical thinking when reading later in this Guide for more
about this).
Intensive reading:
This technique involves careful, slow reading, making
sure that you understand every word, as you would if
you were signing a contract, for example. Read
intensively to proof read your own and others written
work for errors.
Extensive reading:
Extensive reading is a more thorough method of
reading than skim reading. When using this technique, you read everything but
you do not necessarily pause to reflect. This enables you to read a large amount
of text in a single session. Extensive reading is useful for reading many sources,
reading background information or when reading for pleasure, such as a novel.

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The following table provides a useful summary of these techniques:

What you
achieve

want

to Reading Technique

What is involved

Locate specific information

Scan

Searching the text looking

for key words and phrases

Gain a general overview

Skim

Rapid
reading
to
understand the general
meaning

Revision

Rapid

Confirming knowledge

Develop full understanding, In-depth

get detailed information

Careful, slow and repetitive

reading that requires a high
level of concentration

Assess
and
evaluate Critical
information and ideas

Questioning and analysing

to determine the author's
purpose

Proof-reading

Read
for
information

Intensive

Thorough reading, checking

spelling, punctuation and
sentence structure, requires
a
high
level
of
concentration

background Extensive

Reading large amounts in a

single session

In order to study efficiently, you will need to learn to vary your reading style to suit
both the material and your reason for reading that material. You will also need to
develop the ability to quickly switch from one method of reading to another. This
will enable you to search for specific items by scanning, to assess a passage
quickly by skimming, and then to read it closely to understand it.

SQ3R:
The following active reading strategy, devised by Derek
Rowntree, combines the use of these techniques and is
commonly referred to as the SQ3R method. This stands for
Survey, Question, Read, Recall, and Review. This strategy is
particularly useful when you need to study a topic in depth in
order to master it and when revising and making revision notes.

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Survey:
To gain an overall idea of the text before you start, skim and scan the book to
ensure it is relevant.
Question:
Have the assignment question in front of you. Think about what you already
know and what you now want to know. Ask yourself:
- what you expect to gain from the book or journal?
- what is new and interesting about this material?
- what points are particularly helpful?
- what does the author mean in this section?
- does this support/supplement/contradict what I already know?
Asking yourself these sorts of questions ensures that you read with a purpose.
Read:
Choose a manageable chunk of text depending upon the complexity of the
material (which may be a chapter, paragraph or just a few sentences). Read
critically and attentively but dont expect to understand everything at a first
reading:
- look only for the main ideas.
- get the general structure and subject-matter clear in you mind. Ask yourself
what you have read and whether it helps to answer the question. If it does
not, go back to the text and read further. If it does, continue reading the text.
- dont attempt to make notes at this stage.
- the first (and last) lines of paragraphs will normally tell you what the rest of the
paragraph is about. Read them as you go through this first reading and youll
help yourself locate useful material.
At a second reading:
- read in depth those parts which are useful to you.
- highlight or make notes of all the key points (refer to
the Note-taking and note-making Study Skills Guide
in this series for more help with this).
Recall:
Do you understand what you have read? The recall
stage helps you to concentrate, and makes your reading
active rather than passive. Ask yourself:
- how much do I remember?
- how much can I explain in my own words?
- can I recall the key points without re-reading the text?
Review:
Look back at the text to check your recall. The review stage tells you how much
you have really taken in.

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Task:

Consider practising the SQ3R reading strategy on a passage which you are
currently studying. It could be a chapter from a book or an article from
journal or magazine. Apply SQ3R to the passage as follows:
1) Survey the passage.
2) Write down the questions you want to answer by reading the chapter.
3) Read a manageable chunk.
4) Recall. Jot down the answers to your questions.
5) Review what you have jotted down by referring back to your questions.

Speed of reading:
Using these reading techniques will, with practice, enable you to improve the
speed of your reading. As you may be required to read a substantial amount of
material for your course, increasing the speed of your reading will help you to
tackle these demands. Reading more quickly has its
limitations though it serves little purpose in fields such
as mathematics and some of the physical sciences
where the subjects are unfolded step-by-step, but it is
still useful for the more descriptive parts of subjects.
We all read at different rates and each type of reading
will also determine the speed at which you proceed
through the material. An exciting novel, for example, is a
quicker read than a text in chemistry. Reading materials
also vary in how well theyre written, and as a
consequence, some are more difficult to read than
others (see Reading difficult material below). Understanding is the most
important aspect of reading, but you will invariably find it helpful if you can also
improve the speed of your reading.

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Task:

Spend a few minutes to reflect upon your reading speed. Try the
following exercise to gauge your rate of reading:
1) Find something substantial to read i.e. not a magazine.
2) Set yourself 10 minutes to read this material.
3) Read at a speed where you can understand what you read.
4) Once the ten minutes are up, count how many words you have read.
5) Divide this number by ten to find out how many words you read, on average, in
one minute.
6) Repeat this exercise using different texts. If you read fewer than 200-250
words per minute, even on clear and interesting material, it may be worth
trying to increase your speed.
Improving the speed of reading:
Learning to read more quickly, however, is not a solution to the problem of large
amounts of reading. Aiming to read effectively, rather than more quickly, is a
better approach. Indeed, it is unrealistic to expect that reading can always be
fast. The main thing is to move fast when you can and read intensively when you
need to. Remember, your goal is quicker understanding, not just quicker reading.
Nevertheless, you may be practising bad habits that are preventing you from
reading efficiently and at a reasonable speed.
There is often a tendency to read different types of material at
the same rate. When the material is easy and is simply
expressed, it is usually possible to read quite quickly. When it is
less familiar, and using difficult jargon (see Reading difficult
material below), then the reading rate slows down. It is
important to realise that you can vary your reading speed to
cope with the difference in material.
Subvocalisation can often lead to reading at a slow rate. Subvocalisation
refers to the tendency to read aloud, even if so quietly as to be inaudible to
others. You will only ever be able to read as quickly as you talk if you mouth
the words as you read. Our brains can actually handle words much faster
than we can speak them. Try to read without vocalising the words.
Similarly, do not use your fingers to follow the words or move your head as
you read these actions only serve to slow you down. However, this
technique is very useful when proof-reading or reading intensively.
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Practice reading clusters of words rather than every single word. In most phrases
or sentences, only one or two words are fundamental the others need not be
read to gather the meaning of the phrase.
When you already know a fair amount about a subject, consider spending a
few minutes listing key points or words you already know before starting to
read fast. This helps your speed reading to top up your existing knowledge,
allowing you to skim faster through things you already know. Theres no point
spending time reading things you already know.
Eliminate outside distractions and ensure that you are comfortable.
Environmental factors can affect your concentration and your reading speed
(refer to Getting Organised, the second Guide in the Study Skills series, to
help you with organising your study environment).

Reading difficult material:

At some point during your course, you may come across material
which you must read but which you find difficult. If you are
confronted with material which is difficult to read and understand,
thus slowing down your studies, try the following approach:
Read the title and the first paragraph:
If there is a summary at the end of a chapter, read it. Get an idea
of how the material is organised. If you need more background
information, look for another source. Now decide if you have
enough background material to begin reading.
Look for the main ideas:
Identify titles, headings, and subheadings and pick out topic sentences. Utilise
graphs, charts, and diagrams. Take notes while you read (see the 'Note-taking
and Notemaking Study Skills Guide for more about this).
Look up difficult words:
Investigate words whose meanings are important to your understanding of the
material, but which you cannot discern from the context. Build up your vocabulary
by looking up words which you are not clear about and acquaint yourself with
some of the more commonly used abbreviations to help speed up your reading.
Make use of reference books:
Ordinary dictionaries do not usually provide the specialised meanings of words
used in academic disciplines. Therefore, specialised dictionaries and other
reference books are sometimes needed.

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Monitor your understanding and learning:

Occasionally stop and ask yourself, "What have I learned?". Connect this to what
you already know, or what your assessment question is concerned with.
Re-read:
If you do not understand an idea, go back and re-read. Restate difficult ideas in
your own words.
Read to the end:
If you are struggling with the reading, try not to get discouraged and stop
reading. Ideas can become clearer the more you read. When you finish reading,
review to see what you have learned, and re-read those ideas that are not clear.

Task:

Spend a few minutes in the library and see whether there are any reference
books and dictionaries available to assist you with your course. Make a
note of them in the space below for future reference:
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................

Using multiple sources:

When reading for an academic purpose, you should attempt to read several
different sources. It is not recommended that you rely upon a single source. This
is because single texts can be biased or unreliable in the reporting of facts or
arguments, or have a hidden agenda. By using a number of different sources you
should encounter varied and alternative viewpoints and, therefore, avoid
unintentional bias. Where possible refer to the original, primary source of the
information to ensure accuracy.
In general, unless it is specifically relevant, avoid relying solely on the media for
your information - particularly radio and television programmes. Tapes of radio
and television programs are not easily accessible and, thus, neither is any

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information obtained from them, which makes it difficult for people to easily verify
your source. Furthermore, there are many errors of fact and opinions
expressed as facts in the media.
The same caution should be applied to information obtained from the Internet.
Anyone can publish information on the Internet, meaning there is plenty of
misleading and inaccurate information around, along with plenty of useful
information. Apply the same standards to the Internet, as you would to any other
source of information - judge it like you would an academic written source.

Critical thinking when reading:

Critical thinking means weighing up the arguments and
evidence both for and against. To think critically when you are
reading is to read actively and ask questions - you will not be
able to think critically if you read passively, taking a surface
approach to the material. Critical thinking when reading
involves the following actions:
1) Identify the line of reasoning/argument/position in the text.
2) Critically evaluate the line of reasoning/argument/position,
in terms of whether it contains reasons, logical progression, false premises,
and flawed reasoning.
3) Question surface appearances (such as statistics) and check for hidden
agendas or assumptions.
4) Identify evidence in the text.
5) Evaluate the evidence according to valid criteria.
6) Identify the writers conclusions.
7) Decide whether the evidence given supports these conclusions.

Reading and making notes:

Reading and note-making are closely linked. Some
people make notes as they read, others like to read
first and write later. Some students only highlight the
text rather than make notes. Nevertheless, notemaking is an important aspect of studying - the quality
of your notes will certainly be reflected in the overall
quality of the academic work that you produce, such as
essays. There are many different ways of making
notes, some more successful than others, and you need to find a system that
works for you. Refer to the Note-taking and Note-making Study Skills Guide for
a more in-depth discussion of various techniques and strategies for making
better notes. Nevertheless, here are a few tips to get you going:

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 Decide at the outset what you want to make notes about. If you do not have a
clear purpose or question in mind, you will invariably waste time taking
copious notes which are irrelevant.
Mark important points, but keep going (note that
you must not leave any marks in library books). If
you own the book or are working with
photocopied text you have more scope for
marginal notations, preferably using a soft pencil
you can easily erase.
Scribbling something down in the margin is a
good way of reading actively. Write comments
like: interesting point'; excellent'; differs from
what Parker says'; don't understand this at all'.
Put a mark against anything you are sure you will
want to come back to.
Use large, lined, exercise paper or a book for the notes and keep them in an
accessible place.
Write your notes in your own words and clearly enough for you to be able to
read them when you come back to them. This is important for recall and
reorganisation of the material.
Be prepared for the fact that you might take many more notes than you will
ever use. This is perfectly normal. When you are reading and taking notes,
you might not be sure exactly what evidence you will need. Just because
some material is not used, don't imagine that your efforts have been wasted.

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Task:

Now spend a few minutes to assess the usefulness of your notes.

For each of the following opposite statements, tick along the line
depending on how far it is true of your notes.
Easy to read.................................................................hard to read
Brief, to the point..........................................................too detailed
Easy to understand......................................................hard to understand
Well organised.............................................................poorly organised
Pages numbered/labelled............................................no system
Easy to learn from........................................................difficult to learn from
Well abbreviated..........................................................no abbreviations
Important ideas stand out............................................not easy to see

Reflection, re-reading and revision:

The final stages of the reading process are no less important than the task of
reading itself. Undertaking the latter stages will help
you to better understand the material and remember
it for future recollection, such as for an exam. It is
important to reflect upon what you have read; you
need time to link what you have read with what you
already know and with others in the same field. It
may be necessary to return to the text to re-read it if
you need to clarify a certain point. Alternatively, you
may need to read a different source about the same
subject to confirm your understanding. Each time
you read, you should be increasing your
understanding of the issues and aiding your insight.
To help you to reflect upon what you have read, consider using some of the
following tips:
Write down the main points from memory then go back and check the text.
Alternatively, verbally recite the main points to yourself.
In your own words, write brief answers to questions (your own or those in the
course module). This will help you to review the key ideas, thoughts, and
concepts behind the words of the text, rather than just the exact words of the
text.
Review the text - that is, skim it again, perhaps re-reading important bits in
full. Express any thoughts or new questions you have after reading the text in

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note form. You may begin to see new implications or perhaps new ways of
applying the knowledge.
Make an assessment of your current task. You might want to modify your
plans now that you have read the text. For instance, you may realise that
another book you planned to read is now unnecessary.
You may find that you read material but do not have to recall it for some time,
such as for an exam. If you have prepared sufficiently, used a variety of reading
and note-making techniques to read multiple sources and reflected upon the
material, the revision stage should be relatively painless.
Remember, several revision sessions may help you to gain a better
understanding of the material; you will generally only remember what you
understand. If you still don't understand, ask your lecturer to help you. You'll be
showing an interest in their subject, which is always welcome.

These Study Guides have been adapted for students at partner colleges from a series of booklets
produced at the University of Plymouth by the Learning Skills Service.
Acknowledgements:
Sharon Parker, John Hilsdon, Sandra Crawford, Hazel Fullerton, David Acres, Roger Catchpole, Sandra
Graham. Tony Raine, Tim Wheeler.
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