University reading takes time, but you can use this time efficiently.

You can read sources in stages. This guidance shows you how to quickly decide whether a source is useful, and how to focus your effort where it matters most.

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Essential guidance

 

Reading in stages

Use this three-stage process to read sources efficiently.

  • 1. Skimming (decide if it is worth your time)

    Before you begin, have your assignment question or task in mind. 

    For a journal article, read the abstract, introduction, headings, and conclusion. For a book, check the contents pages and the first and last paragraphs of relevant chapters. For edited collections, the introductory chapter often describes the content of the following chapters and might help you select which chapters to focus on. 

    You're not reading for detail. You're answering one question: is this source worth reading further?

  • 2. Scanning (find the specific information)

    Identify keywords from your assignment guidance or lecture notes before you begin reading. Make a note of them and consider alternative terms or synonyms that might also be used.

    Then, when reading, scan the text for these terms and related ideas. For digital sources, use the keyword search function (Ctrl+F for Windows, Cmd+F for Mac) to locate your keywords within the document. Where your keywords appear, slow down and read those sections carefully.

    Signposting words can also help. Words such as ‘therefore’, ‘however’, and ‘in contrast’ show where the author is making a key point or changing direction.

    If the source isn't relevant to your task, stop reading and try another one.

  • 3. Reading in depth (engage with sections in detail)

    Before reading a section in depth, think about any specific questions you might have. Then, as you read, make notes in your own words, recording the author's main points, your reactions, and any connections to what you already know from lectures, seminars, or prior reading.

 

 

When to read in full

Some sources need more than just skimming and scanning. However, these are still useful first steps even when you intend to read a source in full.

Read a source in full when:

  • it is essential reading on your module reading list (a source your module leader has marked as required)
  • your task requires you to analyse or critique the source directly
  • it is a short text such as a poem or a primary document

 

For recommended reading and sources you find yourself, use the three-stage process and focus on the sections most relevant to your task.

 

 

Build a reading habit

You get better at reading efficiently with practice. The right environment helps too.

Set aside time for reading without distractions. Find an environment where you can focus. Try different locations, times of day, and noise levels to find the conditions that suit you.

Record your reference details as you read. Note the author, title, year, and publication details alongside your reading notes. This prevents time-consuming searches when you come to write.

 

 

Advanced guidance

This section builds on the essential guidance above. It covers two approaches for demanding reading tasks: a structured method for complex sources or those important to your assignment, and strategies for when a text is hard to follow.

 

SQ3R: a structured reading method

The SQ3R method gives your reading a clear purpose and helps you test your understanding as you go. It is particularly useful for complex or technical sources, or for any source you need to read in detail.

The five stages are: Skim, Question, Read, Remember, and Review. 

  • 1. Skim

    Spend a few minutes getting an overview. Read the title, abstract or introduction, headings, and conclusion, and note any diagrams or figures. Pay attention to any headings you do not already understand, and to terms that appear more than once. These become your questions in the next stage.

  • 2. Question

    Write the headings and terms you noted as questions, starting with what, why, or how. Then ask yourself which sections are likely to answer them. These questions guide your reading: you are reading to answer them, not simply to read everything.

    A heading such as "The limitations of self-report data" becomes "What are the limitations of self-report data, and why do they matter for the findings in this study?"

    A recurring term such as "self-report data" becomes "What is self-report data, and why does this study rely on it?"

  • 3. Read

    Read the sections most likely to answer your questions, taking notes as you read. At the end of each section, check whether it has answered your question. If it hasn't, the answer may appear later in the text, or your question may need rewording.

  • 4. Remember

    Without looking at the text or your notes, write your answers in your own words. If you can't answer a question, check your notes. If your notes don't answer it either, read that section again. Mark which questions were hardest — these show you what to concentrate on at the next stage.

  • 5. Review

    Check your answers against the text and your notes, and add anything you missed. Then ask what the source has not told you. Does it support, challenge, or extend ideas from elsewhere in your reading? Does it mention any other sources you need to read? A reading grid can help you record these connections across several sources.

 

 

Reading difficult texts

Begin with an introduction to the topic

Texts that are hard to read or difficult to follow are common at university, particularly in new or specialised areas. If a text uses terminology you don’t recognise, or if it’s a key text that other sources often refer to, start with something simpler.

Introductory textbooks, encyclopaedias, and subject dictionaries — reference works that define key terms in a specific field — explain complex ideas in plainer terms. Credo Reference is a good place to start.

Key texts are also often explained and discussed by other authors. Reading one of these explanations first makes the original easier to follow.

 

Approach the text strategically

Read the abstract or introduction before anything else. This gives you the author's main point before you read the supporting detail, making the structure easier to follow.

Keep reading even when words or sections seem unclear. Meaning often becomes clearer as you continue.

At the end of the section, check only the words you need in order to follow the author's ideas. Note any passages that are still unclear and return to them when you've finished.

 

Try creative notetaking

Written notes are not always the most effective way to process complex material. Notetaking with diagrams, mind maps, and visual representations can help you identify relationships between ideas more clearly than when you write in sentences.

 

Talk to other people

Discuss difficult texts with other students. If you are finding a text hard to follow, others likely are too. Talking through a text often clarifies ideas, even if you and your classmates reach different conclusions.

Your lecturers and tutors can also help. Contact them to discuss material you haven't understood.
 

Return to the text after a break

If a text remains unclear after a sustained effort, set it aside and return to it the next day. Complex ideas often become clearer after a break.

 

 

Page last edited: 26 August 2026
Next review due: 9 August 2029