It is important that you consider reading at university as a process, you plan, critique the reading and summarise the content of readings along with your new knowledge gained from reading to make sense of the topic.

You can search for synonyms for key words in your question to ensure that your searching and reading is relevant and that you aren't spending time reading and collecting irrelevant information. 

When first reading a source you may consider the abstract which is an overview, often found in journal articles. You may also consider the introduction and conclusion to gain an understanding of the text and whether it will be relevant to support you in answering the question.

Reading critically means questioning arguments, ideas and evidence, comparing them with other sources, and any research data you have collected if you are completing primary research.

Discover more about beginning to research for your assignment in the video below:

Reading is one of the main ways you will gain knowledge and deeper understanding of your subject. When you read for university you identify different expert viewpoints.  You can draw on theories, ideas, expert knowledge that you’ve read in class activities and later when completing your assignments.

This can seem like a challenge at first – especially if you’re not usually a big reader.  It can be manageable if you are selective about what you read, use active reading techniques like questioning and being critical about the topic and manage your time so that it does not become overwhelming.

When reading a text, you need to start with some descriptive questions that will give you a general overview of what the text is about. You then need to ask more analytical and evaluative questions to help you engage critically with what you are reading.

When reading you need to ensure that you are reading critically, differently to the way you would read a book for pleasure.  

Why not summarise your reading to someone else? Ideally a person who does not have prior understanding of your topic area. This will highlight your understanding, help with paraphrasing and understanding of what you need to work on. 

Make judgements about the texts you read using the CRAAP test. This may help you to establish if the text is useful to build your overall argument or it may indicate if biases are present. 

Use the CRAAP test as a guide to evaluate sources of information in the context of your assignment and your information need, as this may determine if some criteria may take priority over others.

Be aware that it may also be useful to engage with sources that do not pass the CRAAP test as long as you critically evaluate the information.  It is important that you locate and understand multiple perspectives on a topic, keep an open mind and acknowledge that new research can potentially dispute previously widely held views.

Test yourself: are the sources below academically reliable? Answer Yes or No on the quiz below.