Academic Reading

Electronic sources are digital versions of printed books that can be accessed on various devices, such as laptops and university computers. They’re accessible anytime, anywhere as long as you’re connected to the internet, making academic reading more convenient. The strategies you'll need when reading online are the same as reading offline. You already know how to apply these strategies to the academic reading process. 

Key strategies:

• Define your purpose: are you looking for specific information, preparing for a test, or exploring a topic in depth? This will guide your approach.
• Use the right reading techniques: employ scanning, skimming, or intensive reading depending on your objective.
• Practice active reading: highlight important points, take digital notes, or use annotation tools available in e-books or PDFs.
• Reflect and take notes: pause frequently to reflect on what you've read. Summarise key ideas in your own words. Reflection should be a regular activity of your study.
• Explore different format: explore different formats like articles, blogs, infographics, and e-books. This keeps you mentally engaged.
• Manage screen time: take regular breaks to reduce screen fatigue. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Use display tools: enable night mode or blue light filters during evening reading sessions to reduce eye strain.
• Avoid distraction: turn off non-essential notifications and consider apps that block distracting websites during study time.

Click through the slides using the bar at the bottom to see some common difficulties students experience when reading online. Answer the questions to recommend strategies that can help them.

There are different ways to maintain focus and manage time:

• Break up your work into small achievable steps or tasks. 
• Use the Pomodoro Technique.
• Take regular breaks. Use alarms or timers to remind you to stop. 
• Use another screen or split screens to vary the material. 
• Try different formats for notemaking - for example, make a poster! 
• Use rewards to motivate yourself and develop your reading skills 

You can book a 1-2-1 appointment with a study skills adviser to chat more about these.