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Reading Efficiently

With the Book Closed

Ask yourself the following questions for every textbook, book, or article that you are assigned:

Consider the role of the reading material in your class. Is it the essential source of information? Is it included to provide background? to serve as a reference? as supplemental information?

Why did your professor assign this reading material? How does the professor use the material in the course? Is the book discussed thoroughly in lecture? occasionally mentioned? How does the material coordinate with other aspects of the course-lecture, homework problems, paper assignments, course pack, etc.?

Opening the Book

A large part of reading is predicting. The more you can predict while you are reading, the easier the reading will be. These strategies may help you acquaint yourself with your reading material, and therefore predict what you will be reading:

Read the table of contents, book cover, or introductory blurb to see how the information is organized and what information will be covered.

Read the preface, introduction, or forward, and look for the author's(s') purpose and plan for the material.

Examine the layout of the chapter or selection, and locate preview and review sections, key terms, and study questions.

Decide how the format of the text will influence your study strategies for this course.

Reading the Assignment

Before you begin, decide how you are going to read the material. Anticipate what you will want and need to do with the reading material in the future and choose a reading strategy that suits your goal.

Produce study material for the future as you read. Turn the reading material into something that is meaningful to you.

Read the beginning of an assignment slowly and carefully. It will help you predict and therefore read the rest of the assignment faster.

Diagram information as you read. Trace the line of an argument or narrative; chart or draw relationships or systems. Put ideas into shapes, figures, or lines to show connections between concepts.

Reduce each paragraph to a word or phrase and write it in the margin. When finished, list your words, and turn this into an outline of the reading.

Read through the chapter, article, or book section, then write a one-two page summary, personal review, or chart of the information.

Underline (rather than highlight) important information after reading the whole assignment.

Make a fact sheet or key term sheet. List titles or headings of chapters.

Make a list of specific questions that you need answered as you read.

printable version

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