Podcast is loading. Problems? Too slow? You can also access the Podcast by clicking here.

This message will disappear when then podcast has fully loaded.

Academic reading differs from reading for pleasure. You will often not read every word, and you are reading for a specific purpose rather than enjoyment. This page explains different types of purpose and how the purpose affects how you read, as well as suggesting a general approach to reading academic texts.

Types of purpose

Everyday reading, such as reading a novel or magazine, is usually done for pleasure. Academic reading is usually quite different from this. When reading academic texts, your general purpose is likely to be one the following:

• to get information (facts, data, etc.);
• to understand ideas or theories;
• to understand the author's viewpoint;
• to support your own views (using citations).

Many of the texts you read will have been recommended by your course tutor or will be on a reading list, and you will need to read them in order to complete assignments such as essays or reports, to take part in academic discussions, or to help you give a presentation. If you enjoy your course of study you may, of course, also get pleasure from reading these texts, but that is very definitely not your main purpose.

How the purpose affects your reading

When reading a novel you will likely always do this in the same way: from beginning to end. The same is not true of academic reading, as your purpose will affect how you read it. Exactly how you approach the reading will depend on your specific purpose. For example, if you need to list the causes of global warming in an essay you are writing, you will look for texts on the topic of global warming. You are likely to find many texts, not all of which may be suitable, so in the first instance you might survey the texts to decide which ones to read more closely. Having identified suitable texts, you will then skim through each one to find which parts, if any, mention the causes. As your task is to outline the causes, you will not need any detail and so skimming the text for the main points should be enough. In this way, you could read twenty long texts in a fairly short amount of time.

A general approach

In fact, the approach outlined above will be useful for many reading assignments you have. It is summarised in the flowchart below.

GET FREE EBOOK

Like the website? Try the books. Enter your email to receive a free sample from Academic Writing Genres.

Checklist

Below is a checklist for this section. Use it to check your understanding.

References

Wallace, M.J. (2004) Study Skills in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.