Reading is a fundamental part of independent study and you’ll probably be doing a lot of it during your course. Reading for study is clearly different to reading a novel for pleasure, but the academic reading process isn’t often explicitly discussed.
Scroll down for our recommended strategies and resources.
Finding the reading list for your module is a good first step when identifying what you need to read. There are two places where you can find your reading list:
1) On the Moodle page for your module - it is usually under Key Resources near the top of the Moodle page.
2) By going to the Brookes Library homepage and clicking the 'Reading lists' tab above the 'Search the library' box and entering your module name or code.
For a more detailed demonstration of how to find your reading list, watch the 'How to find your reading list' video that the library has produced.
Before you start, know what you are reading for, and what you are trying to find out. Then you can locate the information that is most relevant to your purpose. See this tutorial for an introduction to surveying, skimming, and scanning, as well as a lot of good advice on efficient reading:
Just reading and trying to absorb the content of a text, or copying out large chunks, are passive methods and are likely to cause your concentration to wander. Instead use more active approaches that involve you doing something with the information; this is often connected to taking good notes. See our page on note-making for more ideas:
To keep focused and motivated, it helps to have a set of questions that you want to find answers to from your reading. Sometimes it is hard to know what questions to ask, so using a reading template is a good way to structure your reading process. A template gives you prompt questions to remind you to think critically about what you read, and it encourages you to take good notes. Try using these example templates to structure your close reading of a single text, or broad reading of many texts on a topic:
Academic texts are often not designed to be read in a linear way. Read the first and last lines of each paragraph to get a framework of what the text is about. In a scientific journal article, each section does a different job so you can find the information you need. See this short video on a good order for reading a scientific paper:
Once you have read to understand the basic concepts, connect the information with other things you have read, and judge the validity of the claims being made by the authors. See this brief overview of questions to ask to be critical when reading:
Academic texts are challenging and it is normal to find them hard to read. If you’re struggling with the content, try reading a more basic overview first to give yourself a framework to hang the detail on. Look at these tips for more ideas: