Reading at University

Reading is a fundamental element of university study, whether researching or revising. When faced with reading listsThis is a list of books/articles that your lecturer thinks are important and relevant to your course. However, you may not necessarily be expected to access and read every text on your list. from several modules a unit or a subject area which forms part of the whole university course, remember (as students and lecturers have explained in the podcasts) that you are not expected to read every book/journal in detail which appears on your reading list This is a list of books/articles that your lecturer thinks are important and relevant to your course. However, you may not necessarily be expected to access and read every text on your list.. Instead, it is up to you to identify which sources are most useful for your research topic.

Your academic life will also be easier if you are able to develop the ability to read effectively and make use of reading strategies.

When reading for academic purposes it is useful to ask yourself the following questions:

• Why am I reading this?
• Do I need to read it all?
• Where should I start?
• Which parts will be most useful?
• How can this text help me?

These questions should help you to start to engage with the material from the outset and become a more focused reader.

Reading tips:

1. Always have a purpose for reading as this should help you make effective notes.

2. Try to read critically; ask questions while you are reading and make. comparisons/evaluate information rather than simply accept what you are reading.

3. Be aware of topic sentences (the sentence which contains the main point of a paragraph) – as if you are able to identify this sentence, you will save yourself time.

4. Note down the details of the text you are reading (as this will help you with referencing Within your academic writing, you are expected to read and refer to theories/studies and work by respected people/organisations within the subject area. The way in which you refer to the author(s) varies according to the referencing system which you use, but usually, references contain information about the author’s surname and the year the text was published. at a later date).

5. Take care to make notes using your own words.