Step 5: Read and take notes

Reading in college is often much harder than reading in high school. The readings are harder and there is a lot of new vocabulary. Even more important is what you are expected to do with the material you read.

Having a set strategy to handle readings will help you get the information you need efficiently.
My favorite strategy is 3 reads:

1. Skim and skip through the material quickly only noticing things that are big, bold, or highlighted. This reading is there to help you understand the reading’s form and contents. Pay attention to titles, opening sentences, bold or colored words, and descriptions or call-outs peer-reviewedBy the end of this first read, you want to know how long the reading is, how much time you’ll need to read it fully, and how you can structure your notes.
2. Read the material at a regular pace. If you understand the material, read a few paragraphs or even a page at a time and then stop, think about it, and take a quick note. If the material is very dense, has words you are unfamiliar with, or is hard to pay attention to, you may want to read one paragraph at a time and then stop to think about it and take simple notes (maybe 1 summary sentence or highlights of keywords and information). By the end of the second read, you want to know what the reading is about, main ideas that are covered, and how you can use this reading.
3.  Review the material and your notes, adding in key ideas, vocabulary, and your thoughts on how you can use the reading. This step is about making sure you are ready to use the reading in your synthesis. Consider what this reading tells you, why it is important in your work, and check to make sure that you have enough detail to work with the reading’s ideas without needing to reread often.

For notes, it helps to use a table to keep track of all of your sources plus 1 (or more) pages of notes specific to your readings.

A source tracker might look like this:
Topic Title Citation How to find the source (link or where it is saved) Main ideas and how I will use this source

A note page might look like this:

For more information on reading and studying, look at:

• https://owl.excelsior.edu/orc/
• https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/25868/overview?section=1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RYwkbxef3s&t=330s
• https://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/integrating-sources-0