Reading Material #3

Guide to Systematic Skimming (Cristobal & Cristobal, 2013)

a. Quickly read the title page and the preface for the abstract. Get an idea of the
topic and place the article in the appropriate category in your mind.
b. Study the table of contents carefully or scan the headings or subheads of the
article to get a general sense of the structure of the piece. They sought to act as
a roadmap by letting you know in advance where you are headed.
c. Check the index. Make a quick estimate of the range of topics included to see
which ones are interesting and relevant to your study.
d. Read the publishers blurbs or any boldface excerpts. It is common for authors to
summarize their main points in these parts.
e. From your knowledge of the general nature of the books or articles contents,
look more carefully into chapters or sections that seem pivotal. For example, in
the case of a research report, read the section with the heading, Findings or
Conclusions.
f. Finally, leaf through the whole piece, dipping in here and there to read a
paragraph.

Remember to read a few lines, because most authors sum up

important points at the end.

Guide to Analytic Reading
a. Try to state in a sentence or two what you have gained from reading.
b. Try to dissect a book or an article to uncover the structure and see how the major
parts are organized.
c. Find out what main questions or problems the article or book set out to answer or
solve. Determine which of the problems are primary and which are secondary.
When reading a thesis, you should be able to do this by comparing findings and
conclusions to the purposes, objectives, or hypotheses of the study.
d. Note down important and unfamiliar words and determine their definitions /
meanings.
e. Mark the most important sentences in an article or book, and uncover the
propositions they contain. A good time to perform this step is when you are
reading the conceptual framework for the study proposal or report.
f. Identify the basic arguments or premises.

g. Find out what solutions or conclusions an author has to come up with even
before reading about them.
h. Be sure that you thoroughly understand the article before you criticize it.
Guide to Comparative Reading
a. Find the passages that bear on your questions, needs or interests.
b. Express the ideas of various authors using your own words.
c. Formulate your own set of questions, and read comparatively to determine how
the respective authors do or do not address them.
d. Define the issues that emerge so that you can recognize, sort out, and resolve
controversies or contradictory findings in the literature.