Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two.Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas.You will be alert for key words and phrases, the names of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words. You will not read every word you will pay special attention to typographical cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. To skim, prepare yourself to move rapidly through the pages. Skimming can tell you enough about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its gross similarity or difference from other sources, to know if you need to read it at all. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for example during the preliminary research for a paper. Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a test. But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study reading may be necessary. It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content. However, it is not always the most appropriate way to read. Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading. ![]() Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support. Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a research paper. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. We need to be true to ourselves.Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Maybe I am wrong, but I think too many books are read because everyone is reading them, and people feel guilty about reading only to their own taste. The exception is when it is for a book club and I feel an obligation to the group to finish. Life is too short and there are too many wonderful books to force myself to finish a mediocre one. I also feel no guilt in abandoning a book. I feel no guilt in skimming if the writing is not grabbing me and keeping my attention. But, in today's world, there are so many authors who are writing at a fast clip to meet a demand, that I believe they are not edited appropriately. ![]() His writing is so atmospheric and humorous, I am afraid to miss anything. I especially feel that way about Alexander McCall Smith. I believe Great authors make you want to read every single word. I think you have to ask yourself "how good is this author?" when you find yourself skimming. I always find it's easier to whip through something by Philippa Gregory, or those silly-but-fun Hunger Games, than it is to push through many other novels.įinal word: How long did it take you to read my ramblings, huh? :) Good luck! While some seasoned readers are ripping through Dostoevsky in a day, it seems that many people are reading quickly because the books they're picking are lighter (if we're considering 'literary' as heavier) or literally shorter. Distraction is what slowed me down the most when I really got back into reading this year, and I forced myself to work through those bits and just keep going most of the time, and It helped me get through many books.Īs a final consideration, it's interesting to look at the types of books that many other "readers here," as you mention, are reading. With that being said, I think the speed of your reading, fully absorbed, can be increased with practice - aka more reading! - and pushing yourself through rough patches or dry passages rather than giving in to distraction. I used to think that if I learned to 'speedread' I would be a more effective reader (and human being!) - but frankly, unless you're trying to synthesize the arguments of a very long paper on a very dry subject or trying to survive through the most classic of classics, it just doesn't seem 'right.' I don't think I'd ever want to apply speedreading techniques to fiction that I'm reading for pleasure. ![]() However, I don't like to skim if your definition of skimming is skipping lines and picking through chunks of text. It's hard to say "read every word" because I'm sure I skim over words in that 'speedread-y' fashion all of the time when running through paragraphs of very descriptive prose.
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