Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reading and Making Notes Formatted
Reading and Making Notes Formatted
READING
Unit name goes here
AND MAKING NOTES
the subject in great depth. Jot down the essay
Reading and note-making is at the heart of all
question, make a note of any questions you have
academic study. Much of what you will learn in
about it, and don't get side-tracked and waste
your time at university will be as a result of your
time on non-relevant issues.
own independent research - reading books,
journals and websites on your topic, making notes
and using what you have learnt as evidence to Choosing the right texts
support your arguments in seminars, It is unlikely that you will be able - or be expected
presentations and written assignments. - to read all the books and articles on your
It's an important part of your studies, so it's worth reading list. You will be limited by time and by the
learning how to do it well. Learning how to availability of the material.
manage your reading and take effective notes To decide whether a book is relevant and useful:
can give you back hours of your time for studying
- Look at the author's name, the title and the date
of publication. Is it essential reading? Is it out of
Managing academic reading date?
Reading is one of the essential activities of
- Read the publisher's blurb on the cover or look
studying - it's not called reading for a degree for
through the editor's introduction to see whether it
nothing! However it can be daunting when you're
is relevant.
faced with an extensive reading list. How do you
know which ones to read? Or which bits of the - Look at the contents page. Does it cover what
text to read? What can you do to make reading you want? Is it at the right level? Are there too
complex texts more manageable? And how can few pages on the topic - or too many?
you avoid it taking all of your time? - Look through the introduction to get an idea of
This guide will suggest ways for you to improve the author's approach.
your reading skills and to read in a more focused - Look up an item in the index (preferably
and selective manner. something you know a bit about) and read
through one or two paragraphs to see how the
Setting reading goals author deals with the material.
Before starting to read you need to consider why - Look though the bibliography to see the range of
you are reading and what you are trying to learn. the author's sources.
You will need to vary the way you read
- Are the examples, illustrations, diagrams etc.
accordingly.
easy to follow and helpful for your purpose?
If you are reading for general interest and to
To select useful articles from journals or research
acquire background information for lectures you
papers:
will need to read the topic widely but with not
much depth. 1. Read the summary or abstract. Is it relevant?
If you are reading for an assignment you will 2. Look at the Conclusions and skim-read the
need to focus the reading around the assignment Discussion, looking at headings. Is it worth
question and may need to study a small area of reading carefully because it is relevant or
interesting?
©University of Reading 2019 Page 1
3. Look through the Introduction. Does it It is not a good idea to rely on 1 or 2 sources very
summarise the field in a helpful way? Does it heavily as this shows a lack of wider reading, and
provide a useful literature review? can mean you just get a limited view without
thinking of an argument of your own.
4. Unless you have loads of time, only read the
whole article if one or more of the following is Nor is it useful (or possible) to read everything on
satisfied: the reading list and try to fit it all into your
assignment. This usually leads to losing your own
o It is a seminal piece of work – essential
thoughts under a mass of reading.
reading.
o It is highly relevant to your essay, etc. The best way is to be strategic about your reading
o It is likely that you can get ideas from it. and identify what you need to find out and what
o There is nothing else available and you the best sources to use to find this information.
are going to have to make the most of
It can be better to read less and try to think about,
this.
and understand, the issues more clearly - take
o It is so interesting that you can't put it
time to make sure you really get the ideas rather
down!
than reading more and more which can increase
If there is no reading list... your confusion.
Use the library website and look up Subject help.
Going beyond the reading list
Find a general textbook on the subject.
Use the library catalogue to find other books
Use encyclopaedias and subject based
on that topic. Either click on the subject
dictionaries.
headings in the full record of the books you
Do a web search BUT stay focused on your topic wanted; or make a note of their call numbers
AND think about the reliability of the web sites. and check on the shelves for similar titles.
(For help with this, see the Library's guide to
Book items in advance from Short Loan and
Evaluating websites.)
photocopy the relevant pages
Browse the relevant shelves in the library and
Look for relevant journal articles - bound and
look for related topics.
unbound copies of journals are only loaned
Ask your tutor for a suggestion for where to start. for one day, so are more likely to be on the
shelf than books. Or see if there's an e-journal
The Library also have advice and a series of brief
version of the title you want.
videos showing you how to find and access
Library resources on their website. Check whether your department has its own
library, or box collection of photocopies of key
Tip: You can download a free app to your phone
articles and chapters.
called BookMyne which you can use to search
the Library catalogue, place a hold, renew your Use online resources BUT always evaluate
loans and generally keep on top of your Library them to see if they are appropriate for
activity while on the move. You can even set it up academic purposes. (For help with this, see
to tell you when your books are due back! the Library's guide to Evaluating websites.)
Ask around to see if any of your fellow
How many sources should you read? students has the books you need. You may
It is impossible to give a figure for the number of be able to borrow them briefly to photocopy
sources you should read when researching an any material you need. But be careful to
assignment. It is more important to think about return it promptly - and if you lend a library
the quality of the sources and how well you use book taken out with your ticket to someone
and interpret them, than the number you read. else, make sure they take it back on time, or
your account will be blocked!
trying to write everything you hear in a lecture * Illustrations, examples and diagrams can help
to put ideas in a practical context
copying slides from the screen
* Follow up anything that you think really Most of our e-books can now also be found in
important - research the answers yourself, Summon, the Library’s discovery service. Using
discuss it with a friend, make a list of questions to Summon will give you more results, as it is often
raise if you have a seminar on the topic, ask your able to search for your words at chapter-level.
lecturer if you're really confused and can't find the To only see e-books in your results list, select the
answers elsewhere. Publication Type E-book from the limits on the
left-hand side.