{"id":21532,"date":"2022-11-10T21:26:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T21:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kortext.com\/?p=21532"},"modified":"2024-09-05T10:43:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T10:43:36","slug":"guide-to-academic-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kortext.com\/student-hub\/study-tips\/guide-to-academic-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Kortext’s guide to academic reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now you’re studying at university, you may have realised what you’re studying is an entirely different calibre to what you have been exposed to before.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is academic reading?<\/h3>\n

We all approach different texts differently. For example, you\u2019d read a novel in a different way than reading the newspaper, even though you may not notice that you\u2019re doing it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With academic reading, it\u2019s important to approach it with a specific mindset and strategy because it is so different – as is the purpose. When you\u2019re reading academic texts, you\u2019re reading them critically which basically means you need to adjust your gaze and focus on what information you need to find that will be both meaningful and useful to you and the assignment you\u2019re working on.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do I begin reading academically?<\/h3>\n

Before you can begin any academic reading, it\u2019s recommended that you pause for a moment and think about, or even jot down, the reason you\u2019ll be reading the text.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it to delve deeper into a topic that was touched upon in a lecture? Is it to support a point you\u2019d like to make in an essay? Is it to answer a question, or is it for supplementary knowledge to give you a well-rounded view?<\/span><\/p>\n

Having this in mind and on paper is a really useful way to give your reading purpose and keep you on track because you\u2019ll be motivated to find exactly what it is you\u2019re looking for, even when doing wider reading.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wider reading\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wider reading is a term that\u2019s used often at university. Wider reading and selecting additional content can help you reach those top grades. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you have to read everything, because that\u2019ll be impossible, and it may even have the opposite effect and make you want to stop your course!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But how do you know what to read?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s simple \u2013 ask yourself: \u201cWhat am I trying to find out?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This will help you to select relevant texts to read and narrow down which sections will be useful to you. The ability to be selective in your reading is undeniably one of the most important skills you\u2019ll develop when it comes to academic reading.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also think about the keywords you want to explore and, if reading your text digitally, you can usually search the book for relevant words or phrases to narrow down your reading.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Active reading<\/h3>\n

To be efficient at reading academically, you need to read actively.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you think that by reading academic texts over and over again, the information will somehow embed itself into your brain, you\u2019ll be sad to know that you\u2019re wrong. You\u2019ll be more likely to fall asleep and forget what you\u2019ve read because all you\u2019ll be doing is passive reading.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To remember what you\u2019re reading, you need to be active and engaged with it by taking notes and creating connections between what you\u2019ve read and the reason you\u2019re reading it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using Kortext for academic reading<\/h3>\n

Okay, so, we\u2019ve covered what academic reading is, and how to do it, but how does Kortext help you master active reading?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n