Critical or academic reading is about questioning what you encounter in books, articles, webpages, new sources etc. It isn't about finding fault; instead you should be constantly comparing with what you already know, have read, and want to say.
Everyone is different and reads at different paces for different reasons and contexts. Ultimately it is more important to do deep reading than simply get it done. But you may find some tools and techniques on this page to help you identify areas to spend your time on so you don't waste time on material you already know or sections that are irrelevant.
1. Your reading should be just as structured as your essay. Before beginning, you need to plan. Create a list or mind map to analyse your question and help identify what you do and don’t know. Draw out themes you are comfortable with and those which will need more research. This is where to focus your reading
2. Then ask yourself: Why I am reading this? What questions do I want it to answer? This will depend on whether you are looking for information, to improve your understanding or to analyse a text. You may ony want an additional citation to strengthen your argument.
3. Once you know what you want from a reading session, your strategic approach to reading should ideally include the following steps:
4. Do not accept what you read at face value, always question the information, ideas and arguments you come across. Use evidence to help you form your own opinions, arguments, theories and ideas.
5. Critical reading is only effective if you take critical notes. Your notes to need to interpret the overall meaning of what you have read within the wider context of what you know from other sources and your argument. If you write your notes in a critical way, you should be able to drop them into your essay without much editing.
Before you read…stop!Ask yourself: what do you want to achieve by reading this?
Reading academically mean reading with real purpose. That way, you won't waste time reading things you already know or that are irrelevant.
| Know | Want to know | Learned |
|---|---|---|
| What do you know about this before reading? |
What is left unanswered? This is the motivation to start reading
|
Fill this in as you go and record your progress |
| When you have done an initial skim and scan of the text (see below) then review these questions: | ||
| How has your thinking moved on? | What is left unanswered? This is the motivation to read in more depth | |
This video introduces the idea of critical reading but it also helpful to look at in conjunction with our notemaking resources.
You don’t have time to read everything, nor do you need to. Take a structured approach to target your reading:
Scan
Skim
Then, and only then, should you decide if you need to read further and take in-depth notes. If not, move on the next text.
Once you have established what an individual thinks, you’ll need to link it to the bigger picture. Do you want to read more? If so, why? How does this relate to those inital questions you had for the text?
If you want to really interrogate the source, develop a checklist to evaluate what you read:
Authority
Purpose
Currency
Accuracy
Relevance
Reading-aloud
Speaking as we read is something associated with childhood. Whilst reading silently can speed up the rate at which we digest text, it sometimes hinders clarity of thought. If passage is difficult or you are finding it hard to concentrate, reading aloud can focus your mind and improve comprehension. Speak into the digital recorder on your phone to listen to it again if you are struggling to understand passages or need to revise them.
Note down words or concepts you are struggling with and then follow them up on another occasion. Don't get distracted whilst reading the passage.
Finger-tracking
Again, this is something we do when learning to read as a child but has huge value for advanced readers too. It is best employed when you don’t need to read every word. Run your finger across the text or, as you get more experienced, in a zigzag fashion down the centre of the page. You will still be able to take in the gist of argument despite not reading every word. It will help identify repeated keywords and arguments.
Reading Online
Reading online is very different to reading hard copy text. For a start, there are so many more tempations online; try not to be distracted by notifications or following up links too frequently. Use focus apps e.g. LeechBlock (browser add-on), Self Control (Mac), Forest (mobile). If you find something of interest, make a note and revisit after an allotted time.
It can be tiring too. Think about how you set up your workspace. Improve lighting and make sure there's no direct glare on the screen or light in your eyes from behind the screen. Schedule time and take visual rests e.g Stretchly or EyeLeo. We tend to stick with the same settings on our computers, but remember that you can decrease screen brightness or consider Night Light settings to ease the strain on your eyes. Ensure contrast between text and background. And play around with settings or edit documents where possible to make them more comforatble to read e.g. font size, typeface or line spacing. Use ‘display’/ ‘ease of access’ settings on PC, ‘options’ (Firefox) or ‘settings’ (Chrome) on browser
There are lots of added features too, to help with reading online. You can often set up an accounts on ebook platforms so you can save searches and annotations. Plus there are tools on DnA, My Study Bar or on Microsoft Word to convert text to speech, images to text, and paced screen reading e.g. Read & Write Chrome plugin.
There are more suggestions for reading online on the Cambridge Libraries Reading LibGuide.
It is good practice to take a moment after reading to see if you can do the following by way of a summary:
If you are struggling to do this, you may need to re-read sections before moving on to another text.
If you make effective notes in this way, you can then lift chunks directly into your essay or assignment. It is therefore important not to simply describe what you have read but to analyse it too. That way you will writing critically; comparing, contrasting and synthesising information while clarifying the importance of some authors, arguments and sources overs others.
Unless otherwise stated, this work is licenced under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence by Wolfson College Cambridge.
