Before You Start

• Eliminate distractions, such as interruptions, TV, background music, outside noise, hunger and thirst.
  
• Reserve enough time for reading tasks. For many people, reading and studying in small chunks is more successful than cramming everything into one long session.
  
• Decide on information you want to remember. Students often think they are expected to
  retain everything they read. Wrong. For most courses, you need to learn the most important information and some of the supporting evidence. That is, you must distinguish between the most important and the least important.
  
• Decide on your preferred information collection techniques. Plan on how you will record important information or take notes (computer, highlighting, pen and note pad, dictate to a tape, etc.). Have a set of different pens or highlighters on hand.
  
Plan to reward yourself. Determine small rewards for completing your reading task.

While You Read

• Highlight important points. If you are reading online, you may wish to print the pages offline. These are then useful for highlighting, taking notes, and reviewing quickly.
  
• Get an overview of your reading. Look over the material you’re reading quickly. Scan the headings and subheadings, look at the graphics, read the introductions and conclusions, and scan the intro or follow-up questions. Ask yourself: What am I supposed to be learning from this material? You may find it helpful to jot down questions you expect the material will answer.
  
• Determine the author’s main statement. Pay attention to the first sentence of each paragraph, which is often the topic sentence (ie. it contains the paragraph’s main idea). Search for key concepts within the paragraph. You may find it helpful to briefly review mentally after every few paragraphs or pages to be sure you are retaining. As you read, ask yourself: What is the author’s main idea (or what is the most important information)? What evidence is used to support that main idea?
  
• Be aware of different reading approaches. Different subjects require different types of reading. In general, the sciences may need a close, careful reading with exact recall of detail, whereas literature often requires you to read a large volume of material in a short period of time and hence to remember fewer (but important) specifics. Adjust your reading rate and what you focus on according to the subject.
  
• Write down your questions. Write down questions as prompted by the reading or if something is not clear to you so that you may ask your instructor and your classmates on the discussion board.
  
• Note down citations. If you are gathering material for a term paper, be sure to include citations with your notes, in case you decide to use the text in your paper.

After You Read

• Review your notes. Review the notes or highlights you made and add or clarify as necessary.
  
• Discuss your ideas and perspectives with others. You may want to discuss your readings with a classmate by phone or online. This will help you review what you’ve learned and may help you clarify what you don’t understand.
  
• Reward yourself. Don’t forget that reward!

• Best Practices
• Asking for Help
• Thinking Critically
• Reading Tips
• Writing Tips
• Web Search Tips
• Elavuating Web Resources
• Exam Tips
• Library Tips