Page 6 - ACADEMIC REDING_Neat

University students are often exposed to lengthy texts, some of which

contain unfamiliar terminology or complex concepts. Thus, the mastery of reading
skills is fundamental to university success, regardless students’ major or field of
study.

What is Academic Reading?
Academic reading is defined as reading with a specifically academic and

educational purpose. It differs from other forms of reading in the content of what
is read, how it is read, and what the author expects the reader to do. It requires

a more active, investigative, and repeated strategy than recreational reading.

What are the examples of academic texts?

Some types of reading materials at university are lecture slides, course
notes, traditional books, selected chapters from textbooks, reports, essays, book

reviews, conference papers, theses and journal articles.

What are the strategies in reading academic texts?

Academic reading involves layers of: asking questions, reflecting on

relationships among parts of the text, interpreting meaning, making connections
with other readings, refining topic and purpose.
These reading strategies help students make sense of information and

manage lengthy, complex texts:

• breaking down large pieces into manageable sections
• understanding key ideas
• understanding main idea rather than individual words

• identifying facts and opinions

• deducing meaning of unfamiliar words from contexts
• locating specific information
• summarizing

Reviews on Reading Techniques

1. Scanning

When scanning, readers try to locate specific information and they often do
not even follow the linearity of the passage to do so. They simply let their eyes

2