Reading

Academic reading is unlike any other reading you do in your life. It doesn't just happen as your eyes pass over the page; you have to work on a text, write it, right along with the author. In many ways, in fact, you use the same skills in reading as you do in writing, so be sure to check out the guides and links included on writing. Below are some of the key strategies for working on a text.

General reading strategies

One of the most important strategies for reading is to be strategic. Different kinds of texts demand very different ways of reading, so you have to strategize as you pick up a new article, book, poem, etc. Below are resources for finding the right strategy for the right text.

Tools for Reading, Writing, & Thinking, by Brian Ladewig is a rich compilation of different worksheets to guide reading (and writing and thinking)

Techniques for Skillful Reading, from The College Reading Skills Program (CRSP) at Cal Poly Pomona, offers exercises to learn new reading strategies

Annotation

Perhaps the most valuable single strategy for working on a text, annotation is simply taking notes in a text. It's one of the biggest secrets of academic success because through it you really "own" what you read, and equally importantly, you find a voice of your own to speak back to the author.

While annotation methods are as different as their users, they do have similar purposes:

• to summarize small "chunks" of text (and speed rereading)
• to ask questions
• to define difficult/important terms
• to express agreement or disagreement with the author
• to highlight and work through confusing, difficult, or problematic passages
• to trace themes/topics of interest

Sample text annotations

How to Mark a Section of a Textbook Chapter, from Cuesta College

CRSP - Marking Your Textbook, from The College Reading Skills Program (CRSP) at Cal Poly Pomona

And if you want to understand more about the ideas behind marking a book, check out:

How to Mark a Book, by Mortimer J. Adler