ACADEMIC READING

SKILLS
Hemma Yulfi
  FOR OVERVIEW
 FOR IN-DEPTH STUDY
 FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

WHY DO WE READ?
 Factual information
 Terminology
 Concepts
 Principles
 Tables (find out the message)
 Figures (find out the message)
 Evidence (scientific evidence)

MAIN CONTENTS
A paragraph is a section or
subdivision of a piece of writing; it
always begins on a new line and
contains at least one sentence.
 Topic sentence
 Types of paragraphs: deductive &
inductive

PARAGRAPH READING
 Deductive Inductive
General Specific

General

Specific

Types of Paragraph
5
 Deductive
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 Inductive
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Types of Paragraph
 PARAGRAPH
Identify the topic sentence(s) and find out
the important message (idea, thought)

PARAGRAPH READING
 Information about objects, events and
processes, allowing us to differentiate
various things and classes (e.g.
identifying examples and non-
examples!).
 Lack of understanding of concepts leads
to lack of clarity in thinking.
 Example of concepts: hypertension, risk
factors, cardiovascular disease, etc.

WHAT IS A CONCEPT?
 The combining in relationship of two or
more concepts in a statement or sentence.
 A comprehensive and fundamental law,
doctrine, or assumption.
 Scientific principle is general scientific law
which explains how something happens or
works.
 E.g.: Uncontrolled hypertension is associated
with greater risk for cardiovascular events.

WHAT IS A PRINCIPLE?
 Any important & reliable information or
data; main outcomes or conclusions of a
study/research.
 Source of evidence: textbook,
monograph, review article, and research
e.g. experimental studies and clinical
trials.
 Important characteristics of scientific
evidence: up-to-datedness, validity, and
applicability (best available evidence).

WHAT IS AN EVIDENCE?
 EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

 Explain events
 Predict consequences
 Infer causes
 Control situations
 Solve problems

WHY EVIDENCE IS SO
IMPORTANT?
 When a physician believes a drug to be
effective in the management of a disease
despite strong scientific evidence to the
contrary, this represents irrational
prescribing. Nonscientific factors can or do
influence physician prescribing even
though the physician may be unaware of
their presence and effort.

Examples of Evidence
 SCANNING
 SKIMMING
 EXTENSIVE READING
 INTENSIVE READING

TYPES OF READING
 To look through it quickly.
 Scanning is used to find a particular piece of
information. Run your eyes over the text
looking for the specific piece of information
you need.
 Scan for main (principal) idea (thought)
 Scan for tables, diagrams, illustrations,
graphical representations, schedules, etc. to
find the details you require.
 If you see words or phrases that you don't
understand, don't worry when scanning.

SCANNING
 To read through it quickly
 Skimming is used to quickly gather the most
important information, or 'gist'. Run your eyes
over the text, noting important information.
 Skimming for key words, concepts, and
principles
 Skimming for main messages in the tables,
diagrams, illustrations or graphical
representations
 It's not essential to understand each word when
skimming.

SKIMMING
 Extensive reading is used to obtain a
general understanding of a subject and
includes reading longer texts for pleasure,
as well as medical books.
 Use extensive reading skills to improve
your general knowledge of clinical
procedures.
 Do not worry if you don’t understand each
word.

EXTENSIVE READING
 Intensive reading is used on shorter texts
in order to extract specific information. It
includes very close accurate reading for
detail.
 Use intensive reading skills to grasp the
details of a specific situation.
 It is important that you understand each
word, number or fact.

INTENSIVE READING
 Scan title of passage
 Sections
 Paragraph title
 References
 Skim
 Main thought/idea in each paragraph
 Figures and tables
 Introduction
 Conclusions/summary
 Read & re-read the whole article/passage
 Reflecton what you've read and connect
with what you have known

HOW TO READ AN ARTICLE?

Nutrition is the science of food and its relationship to
health. They are chemicals in foods that are used by the
body for growth, maintenance, and energy. Nutrients that
cannot be synthesized by the body and thus must be
derived from the diet are considered essential. They
include vitamins, minerals, some amino acids, and fatty
acids. Nutrients that the body can synthesize from
compounds, although they must also be derived from the
diet, are considered nonessential. Macronutrients are
required by the body in relatively large amounts;
micronutrients are needed in minute amounts.
Lack of nutrients can result in deficiency syndromes
(e.g. kwashiorkor, pellagra) or other disorders. Excess
intake of macronutrients can lead to obesity; excess
intake of micronutrients can be toxic.
1) How many paragraphs are found in the
passage?
2) What is main message/thought/idea of
each paragraph?
3) How is paragraph 1 constructed?
Explain your answer!
4) What do you think about the
construction of paragraph 2? Explain
your answer!

QUESTIONS
1) Two paragraphs
2) Paragraph 1: The concepts of nutrition
Function of nutrients
Types of nutrient: essential/nonessential nutrients;
macro/micro-nutrients
Paragraph 2: Clinical patterns of nutritional disorders
3) Function of nutrients
4) Paragraph 1: deductive paragraph
Paragraph 2: Topic sentence is missing, but the main
thought is implicit in the message of the paragraph.
It resembles a (modified) deductive paragraph.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS
THANK YOU