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SUM2015 Summarising Skills |
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Reading and understanding
An effective reading system
One popular system for academic reading is SQ4R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Relate/Reflect, Review):
SURVEY Surveying helps you to establish main purpose, content, and organisation. It provides a framework for the reading. QUESTION Asking questions before and as you read improves concentration and understanding. It also promotes active engagement with the reading material. READ Reading critically (looking for answers to questions you have raised, distinguishing main and subsidiary information) improves concentration and understanding. RECITE In summary writing, reciting involves rephrasing the ideas and writing ideas in note form. RELATE/REFLECT Reflecting involves making connections with what you already know and considering how you might use the new ideas and facts for your assignment or project. In summary writing, it involves making sure that the content is consistent with the purpose for writing the summary in the first place. REVIEW Reviewing your notes helps you to check the accuracy of your understanding of the key ideas. |
SQ4R was essentially devised for reading academic textbooks, but the principles can be applied to other types of academic reading. You can find out more about this system on Google. For a quick review and application, click HERE to access ELE Effective Reading on ELE online (www.library.auckland.ac.nz/ele).
SQ4R encourages active reading, which is reading with a definite purpose. This definition (from www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/active-reading.php) explains the purpose of active reading in academic contexts:
| "Active reading is reading something with a determination to understand and evaluate it for its relevance to your work". |
Active reading promotes better engagement with the text. Because the purpose for reading is established at the outset, your reading has a focus and you know what you are looking for. Active reading requires you to ask questions and make connections as you read. The result is increased and more accurate comprehension and summary writing.
