Page 187 - Keys to College Success

reading less and less of the full width of the line
as you move down the page, and only seeing the
left-hand text by the time you reach the bottom
of the document. 8
Nielsen suggests making the most of screen
reading using a step-by-step process, which includes
aspects of SQ3R:
1. Skim through the article. See whether it
contains important ideas.
2. Before reading in depth, save the article on
your computer or device. This gives you the
ability to print the article if you prefer to
highlight and add notes on hard copy.
3. Survey the article. Read the title, subtitle,
headings, figures, charts, and tables.
4. Come up with questions to guide your reading.
Ask yourself what general and specific infor-
mation you want to learn from the article.
5. Read the article in depth. Take it slower than you normally would.
6. Highlight and take notes. Use the program’s highlighter and comment functions.
7. Print out articles you would rather study on hard copy. Make sure printouts include
any electronic highlighting and comments you’ve created.
8. Review your notes. Combine them with your class and text notes.
Finally, remember that “it is not so much about the tool and what it can do, but
more about the purpose for using the tool,” says educator Mary Beth Hertz. Every
9
choice, from the latest iPad to a book and a pencil, has pros and cons. Evaluate on a
case-by-case basis and see what works best for you, especially if you are a “digital native”
who gravitates toward technology.

Take a Specific Approach to Primary Sources
SECONDARY SOURCES
Other writers’ interpretations Reading requires a lot of focus whether you are working with secondary sources such
as textbooks or primary sources. However, primary sources require some particular
of primary source documents.
strategies.
Primary sources were created at or near the time of the circumstances or events they
document. They include letters, financial documents, photographs, journals, articles,
video or audio recordings, scientific studies, email records, and more. You will read pri-
mary sources for a wide range of coursework, including history (descriptions of historical
PRIMARY SOURCES
Original, uninterpreted events), literature (original poetry, novels, essays), and sociology (studies and interviews).
documents or works.
Careful evaluation of primary sources will allow you to derive useful information
from them. One evaluation strategy is to use journalists’ questions—the who, what,
when, where, why, and how that are useful for all kinds of investigations. 10

Define the context. Ask questions such as:
■ When and where was it created? Time and location shape a source. A letter from
a Jewish citizen of France in 1935 will differ from one from a Jewish citizen of
Israel in 1957.
■ How was it created (what format)? For example, a photograph of an event in
1923 is more likely to be accurate than a written description.
6 ■ Who produced it, and for whom is it created—in other words, what is the intended
CHAPTER 150 ditions differently than one from a colonist determined to declare independence.
audience? A letter from a British loyalist will describe pre–Revolutionary War con-