Keep your purpose in mind when you read
Don't let the arguments in the text distract you
Before beginning to read, take a few moments to think about what it is you are expecting from the article or chapter
Skim-read the abstract, headings, conclusion, and the first sentence of each paragraph. Do you need to read everything with equal attention? Can you see where the arguments are headed?
What were the authors trying to discover?
Why is this piece of research important?
What was measured?
What information do you have on the sample?
How was the data collected?
What were the results?
What do the authors conclude and to what do they attribute their findings?
Can you accept the findings as true?
How can you apply these findings to your own work?
When results are conflicting, you might find it useful to ask the following questions:
How similar were the programs used?
Were different measurement instruments used?
How were the programs evaluated?
Visit the Academic Skills "Reading and notetaking resources"