Reading at University

This concise and practical text will equip students with the effective reading strategies they need when preparing for their university assessments. It dispels assumptions often made about the nature of reading at university, and provides an overview of the culture of academic reading, note-making, and what markers expect. This text provides support for reading structured around the process of crafting an assignment, including reading critically and developing an academic voice.

Jamie Q Roberts is a Learning Advisor at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction Twelve dubious assumptions about reading at university The purpose of universities and the nature of academic publishing and what this means for your reading Marking criteria related to reading The different types of sources encountered at university Optimising the environment in which you read Making notes when you read Reading to work out what a source is generally about Reading in depth The assignment-production process: reading, planning and writing Reading critically (part 1): different ways of using information in your writing, including critiquing An extended activity about how to find, evaluate and use information from a single source Reading critically (part 2): Comparative reading and synthesis Reading to understand your field Reading to write: developing your academic voice by imitating good writers Reading widely to enrich your studies and life Conclusion.