Introduction to Strategic Reading

Learning to efficiently read research and scholarly writing is a skill that will help greatly with managing your time and workflow. Instead of spending time thoroughly reading every word, learn to strategically approach reading to pull out the most relevant pieces of the writing, and quickly evaluate a source’s overall methodology and approach. There are many different ways to go about reading, and no one technique will work for everyone. Basically, one size does not fit all! With time and practice, these techniques will get easier and more natural.

Image credit: UW Visual Asset Collection Links to an external site.

Learning Goals

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Read scholarly texts for comprehension and meaning
• Read scholarly texts more efficiently
• Improve confidence in reading scholarly texts
• Know where to go for additional help

Reflect

Ask yourself these questions about how you currently read and think, so that you can try one of the approaches offered in this tutorial.

• Do you read start to finish?
• Do you highlight and make notes in the text?
• Do you see what others have to say about it?
• Do you skim or do deep reading?
• What do you do when you don’t understand something you’re reading?
  • Look it up online (using dictionaries, Wikipedia, etc.)?
  • Move on and hope to understand it later in a larger context?
  • Find a different article to read on the same topic?
  • Watch explanatory videos on YouTube or other sites?
  • Something else?