Academic texts can be hundreds of pages long yet contain only a few points that you actually need for your research. It’s not necessary to read the entire text! Instead, skim through and select certain components of the text you think is specific to your research.
Steps for Skimming
- Read the abstract: The abstract provides a summary of the article’s main points, allowing you to quickly assess whether it is relevant to your research interests.
- Scan the introduction and conclusion: These sections will provide a brief overview of the study’s purpose and findings, which can help you determine whether it’s worth reading the entire article.
- Look at the headings and subheadings: These provide an indication of the main topics covered in the article and can help you identify the sections that are most relevant to your research interests.
- Skim the methodology and results sections: These sections provide information about the research design and findings, but you can skim them quickly to get a sense of the main points.
- Pay attention to figures and tables: These provide a visual representation of the data and can help you quickly identify the main findings of the study.
- Use keyword searches: Many academic journals have online databases that allow you to search for articles using keywords related to your research interests. This can be a quick way to identify relevant articles.
- Use citation indexes: Citation indexes such as Google Scholar can also be a useful tool for identifying relevant articles. By looking at the citations for a particular article, you can identify other articles that are related to the same topic.
Pro Tips
- Note down any key terms you want to look for and keep your eyes peeled for the term while skimming through the text.
- Begin with the table of contents or, better still, the index at the end of the book, to help quickly refine your search.
- Read the introduction and conclusion next, as well as any images or diagrams to see if it relates to what you need.
- Take point form notes of the important concepts, or highlight key sentences if you have your own copy.
- Look up unfamiliar terms to help you understand the text better.
- Find any headings or titles that help uncover what the author will discuss in specific sections.
- Read the first sentence or two in specific sections to see if it might contain material that relates to your research.
- Discuss the text with someone else who has also skimmed it and compare the main points you both uncovered.
- Sometimes a text is worth the entire read if it directly relates to your research.
- If you read a few sections throughout the text and can’t find any relevant information, find a different text.