Reading Strategy: Skimming

Summary

In this video, Morag from Academic Skills introduces the skimming strategy for reading academic texts quickly. Skimming helps you get an overview of a paper's relevance, content, and structure without diving into details. It involves focusing on key elements like titles, abstracts, introductions, conclusions, and headings. Skimming is useful when you're short on time or need to assess whether a source is worth further reading. The strategy is demonstrated through a real example, helping viewers understand how to evaluate academic papers efficiently and effectively.

Takeaways

• 😀 Skimming is a useful strategy when you need to quickly get an overview of a text.
• 😀 Skimming is ideal when you're short on time or need to evaluate a source's relevance for a paper.
• 😀 It's not appropriate when in-depth understanding of the text is needed.
• 😀 Always determine your purpose for reading before skimming.
• 😀 Focus on key sections such as headings, introductions, and conclusions to identify the main ideas.
• 😀 Think like the author to understand how the content is structured and the main points they are trying to convey.
• 😀 Assess a paper's relevance and credibility by checking its title, author, publisher, and date.
• 😀 The abstract provides a quick overview of the context, aims, methods, and key findings of the paper.
• 😀 Skim through the introduction to understand the aim and structure of the paper.
• 😀 Use the conclusion to quickly identify the major findings and results of the paper.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of using the skimming strategy while reading?

Skimming is used to get an overview of a text quickly, especially when you're short on time or need to evaluate a source before reading it in detail.

When is skimming not an appropriate strategy?

Skimming is not suitable when you need to gain in-depth knowledge or a detailed understanding of the text.

What should you focus on when skimming a text?

When skimming, focus on parts of the text that contain main ideas, such as headings, introductions, conclusions, and abstracts. Avoid reading every word.

How can thinking like the author help when skimming a text?

Thinking like the author helps you understand their aim and how the paper is structured to achieve that aim, allowing you to focus on the most relevant parts of the text.

What steps should you take to evaluate the usefulness of an article during skimming?

First, determine your purpose for reading. Then, check the title, author, date, and publisher to assess relevance and credibility. Review the abstract, introduction, and conclusion for a clearer overview of the paper's findings.

What does the abstract of a paper typically contain?

The abstract provides an overview of the paper, including context, aims, method, key findings, potential applications, and sometimes limitations or future study suggestions.

Why is it important to review the introduction and conclusion during skimming?

The introduction outlines the aim and structure of the paper, while the conclusion summarizes the major findings. Both sections provide crucial insights into the paper's relevance to your purpose.

What kind of information can be found in the section headings of a paper?

Section headings offer a framework that helps you focus on the main ideas of the paper, guiding you to the most important sections without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.

What should you do in the final step of skimming a paper?

In the final step, skim through the first and last sentence of each paragraph, as they are most likely to contain the main points and ideas.

What is the key finding from the paper reviewed in the video?

The key finding from the paper is that peer learning programs positively impact academic achievement, especially when students attend regularly, with international and lower-achieving students benefiting the most.