Academic reading
Before watching this video, you should download this article by Reynol Junco. We will refer to this article during the video. Follow the link below to a PDF copy. You will need to be logged into the Griffith Portal in order to access the article.
In this video, we will look at academic reading by introducing a reading method to help you approach complex or long academic texts at university.
First, let’s consider how we read different texts. How would you read:
- a novel
- a Facebook post
- a bus timetable, and
- an academic article.
Would you read them all in the same way? Would you read every word of a bus timetable carefully? Do you read a Facebook post in the same way that you read an academic article? No. We read different types of texts in different ways. It’s not always necessary to understand every word or to read from the beginning of the text to the end.
Reading is one of the most important skills at university. To be a successful university student, you need to be an active and critical reader, so it is important to take a systematic approach.
The ‘SQ3R method’ for critical reading is named for the five steps of the process:
Survey
Question
Read
Recall (and)
Review
Survey
The first step is to ‘survey’, which means ‘to look around to get a general idea’ by skimming and scanning.
First, read the abstract of the article - or the introduction if there is no abstract. In your notes, summarise the main purpose of this paper in one sentence.
Next, list the main sections of the article in your notes. Leave room between each section so that you can add more information later.
Finally, under each section in your notes, make a list of any important figures or graphs that appear in that section.
For the Junco text, your notes might look something like .
Question
Step 2 is ‘question’. This means we ask questions that we want to know about the text so that we will read with a purpose.
Read the first few sentences of each section of the article. Then, in your notes, write one or two focus questions for each section.
For example, for the Introduction, you might write “What is the effect of Facebook usage on learning?” or “Can Facebook be a useful learning tool at university?”
You will use these questions later when you are reading.
Read
Step 3 is ‘read’. Carefully read each section to find the answers to your questions. Read small parts at a time and re-read difficult passages.
As you read, pay close attention to any underlined, italicized or bold words and phrases, as well as all figures, tables and graphs. You should also underline or highlight important sections, key points, and new words.
When you finish each section, summarise the section in your own words in your notes.
Recall
Step 4 is ‘recall’, which means ‘remember’. This step helps us remember key points from the text.
Without looking at the article or your notes, try to recall the main points of the article and say them aloud. Check your answers against your notes and re-read any sections you didn’t remember.
When you finish the article, update your notes if necessary. Then add a final summary section of key concepts and key vocabulary. It is important to learn this new vocabulary - see the video on academic vocabulary for how to do this.
Click on the example below to see an example of SQ3R notes for the Junco text.
Review
The final step is to review your notes prior to an exam or completing an assignment.
This video has looked at the SQ3R reading method and how to use this method to read academic texts.