Strategies for Active Reading
Active reading is a process of deliberately engaging with ideas and information in a text.
Active reading includes a variety of practices designed to help readers stay focused and engaged, while promoting understanding and creating a record of the reading experience for later use.
How to Read Actively
▶ Pseudo-skim. It’s often not required to read a text word-for-word to understand the information it contains. Rather, before starting to read, skim the text to see if you can identify sections that are of particular importance, and those that may add unneeded details. This will usually shorten reading time and allow you to focus on the important points the text makes.
▶ Read backwards. Unlike the stories where reading the end can spoil the experience, academic texts are informational and build to a point or final set of points. By skipping to the end to understand where the author is heading, you can spot claims and other information which aligns with the endpoint(s), as you read.
▶ Ask questions. As important information comes up, especially vocabulary and definitions, it can be an effective strategy to turn these ideas into a question. It can also be useful to turn sub-headings into question to identify the important points being discussed in those sections.
▶ Pay attention to formatting. Textbooks and other texts often use formatting – bolding, italics, information broken out in a box to the side – to indicate that certain information is worth paying attention to. By considering these differences as you read and making notes, you can often simplify or streamline the reading process.
▶ Markup the text or take notes. Marking up the text or making notes is a very effective way of making your reading process more active. In particular, this can help you identify the main points that stood out to you, or organize important information for later use in a paper or other project.