Academic Reading Strategies
These resources are being made available for students to use in any manner most effective for you. Please contact the Academic Success Center to meet with an Academic Consultant if you would like to learn how to improve your reading skill!
Effective Approaches to Reading: This is our basic outline of reading strategy.
Critical Reading: Have you ever read for awhile, and caught yourself wondering why you have no idea what you just read? Critical reading is reading to evaluate the information presented in text. This handout describes the critical reading strategy.
Increasing Reading Flexibility: Have you noticed that you read a newspaper at a different pace than reading a science textbook? Of course, reading at one pace using only one strategy will not work for everything. Learn how to adjust your comfort level for reading various items with this handout.
Reading Textbooks--the SQ3R Method: Textbooks are not leisure reading. Texts contain complex information, terms, definitions, and more. Using the SQ3R method will help you maximize your time spent reading. (Adapted from "Your College Experience" by Gardner and Jeweler) Once you have mastered the SQ3R, try the SQ5R method!
How to Mark Your Textbook: Highlighting every word is not practical. (it also decreases your chance of selling back a book.) Learn how to mark your textbooks effectively, while maintaining book value! (Source: Brigham Young University)
Speed Reading: If you want to decrease the amount of time you spend reading while increasing your retention of information, this handout outlines how to train yourself to speed read. Note that increasing reading speed is not for everyone, and might not be effective. Students are encouraged to keep a pace that is comfortable.
