A Good Technique for Skimming Articles Is

K5

Skimming

Skimming is a very rapid reading technique. It is defined as the ability to identify main ideas while reading very rapidly and selectively skipping passages. It is a technique used to find out how a magazine article or textbook chapter is organized and what it is about. This technique, while very useful, should not be used as a means of studying for or completely comprehending texts that are assigned readings for a class. Instead, skimming is best used in order to decide what materials are more or less suited to research.

A good technique for skimming articles is:

1.Read the title and scan the opening paragraph or two looking for the subject of the article and the author's point of view about the subject.

2.Read the first sentence or parts of the first sentence of each following paragraph looking for ideas related to or supporting the author's main ideas.

3.Read the last paragraph (or last two, depending on the article) looking for a summary or conclusion regarding the author's ideas about the subject.

This approach or a modification of it will help you get an overview or a general picture of an article's contents. Then you will know whether you want or need to read the article more closely.

Skimming a textbook chapter may seem a sin to some students. However, there are two appropriate times to skim a chapter: before reading it carefully and when reviewing for a test. A good rule of thumb for skimming a chapter is:

1.Check to see how long the chapter is. If it can't be read in one sitting, you may want to mark a place to stop.

2.Read the title, opening paragraph, and the summary, if there is one.

3.If there are questions at the end of the chapter, read them and scan for the answers.

4.Find the major idea related to each heading or subheading of the chapter.

How closely you skim depends on whether you are skimming to prepare to read or whether you are skimming for reviewing. Whereas skimming should seldom, if ever, be used to replace close, careful reading, a proper application of skimming can save you many hours of slow, plodding reading when it isn't necessary.

Taken from Developing Reading Versatility by W. Royce Adams, How to Study in College by Walter Pauk, and Study Skills: A Student's Guide for Survival by Robert A. Carmen and W. Royce Adams, Jr.

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