How to read at university
2. getting the most out of reading
3. what should I read?
4. primary and secondary sources
5. the best sources
6. academic writing
7. keeping track of your reading
8. deciding what to read
9. reading tricky texts
10. improving your reading stamina
11. deep reading
12. critical reading
13. summary
Keeping track of your reading
when you've finished this page you will be able to...
- make a record of your reading
When you start reading, you'll find that there's an awful lot of material out there, and for this reason, it's vital to make notes while you read - it will save time later if you aren't struggling to remember where you found that fascinating article you read weeks ago. While it's a good idea to make a note of everything you read, it's especially important to keep a record of your reading if you're undertaking a large scale piece of work, like a dissertation, literature review, or a project.
Keeping a record of what you read doesn't just mean making a note of references - you should be using EndNote, or another reference management programme to do this - it also involves making brief notes to summarise what you've read and note anything of special interest. It can also be useful to jot down some quotations.
Activity: keeping a record of your reading - 5 minutes
You should create an entry in your reading record each time you read something new.
1. Divide the first page of your notepad, or a filing card, into 3 columns.
2. Title the first column Reference.
3. Title the second column Notes.
4. Title the third column Quotations.
5. For an illustration of what your record might look like, take a look at the example below.
Keep your record up-to-date; it prove useful when you need to write an assignment or revise.
Reading record
|
On the next page we look at how you can decide whether a text is worth reading in greater depth. With the amount of reading you need to do at university, this is a vital skill.
Bookmark with: 
