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Reading and Study Skills: Improving reading speed and comprehension

Learn about reading and study skills which will help you achieve success in your studies.

How do you read a text

How do you read a text? 

It is helpful to be aware of why you are reading a text, what is your purpose.  Are you reading for fun? Are you reading because you are looking for details? Do you only want an overview of the text and the main conclusions of the author? You will use different strategies depending on your reading goal. For example, you may need to read the entire text for specific details, but not if you only want to get an idea about the conclusions of a text. 

Improving reading speed and comprehension

There are several strategies you can use to help improve your reading speed and understanding. 

Skimming 

Skimming means reading through a text quickly, horizontally, to get a general understanding of the content and its usefulness.

Before reading an academic text in depth, skimming the text will often help you understand what the text is about or identify key bits of information. This strategy helps you identify the relevance and can lead to a greater depth of understanding.

     To skim a text:

  • read the abstract, executive summary or chapter summary first
  • read quickly through the introduction then skip to the conclusion to get a sense of the overall content
  • focus on the first sentence in each paragraph, which usually contains the main point of each paragraph. Take note of the last sentence
  • if relevant, go back and read the whole chapter or article from the beginning. You should find it easier to understand after skimming the text.

Scanning

Scanning means to read through a text quickly, vertically or diagonally, to locate single words, facts, dates, names, or details.

Scanning is looking for specific information, such as keywords, dates, statistics or authors' names.

     To scan a text::

  • skim the text to find specific words or information, while ignoring the rest of the text initially
  • when you find what you are looking for, read a bit around this area to understand the context of the information.

Identifying key terms

Highlight important key terms and new terms or vocabulary. Keep a dictionary handy to identify key terms as you read.  

Reading for detail

Reading for detail is when you start to concentrate on the written material, looking to gather specific information or evidence. It will provide you with a more in-depth understanding of the information, facts, positions and views on a topic.

     To read for detail:

  • identify the text’s main arguments. These will often be outlined in the introduction
  • think about how well you understand the claims the writer is making. Are you able to paraphrase these?
  • think about any new perspectives the text offers on your topic
  • identify what is useful to you.

Active reading