{"id":837,"date":"2025-04-17T11:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/?page_id=837"},"modified":"2025-04-17T11:53:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:53:45","slug":"reading-critically","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/reading-critically\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Critically"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"837\" class=\"elementor elementor-837\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8e09e67 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8e09e67\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2f6162f\" data-id=\"2f6162f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8121db9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"8121db9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"page\" data-elementor-id=\"624\" class=\"elementor elementor-624\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-57c2ad99 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"57c2ad99\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-29a03304\" data-id=\"29a03304\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a645f0a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2a645f0a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">WRITING PROGRAM<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-69de941d elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"69de941d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1920c022\" data-id=\"1920c022\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-100bb6cc elementor-nav-menu__align-justify elementor-nav-menu--dropdown-tablet elementor-nav-menu__text-align-aside elementor-nav-menu--toggle elementor-nav-menu--burger elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-623 elementor-widget-nav-menu\" data-id=\"100bb6cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;layout&quot;:&quot;horizontal&quot;,&quot;submenu_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-caret-down&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;},&quot;toggle&quot;:&quot;burger&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nav-menu.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<nav aria-label=\"Menu\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu--main elementor-nav-menu__container elementor-nav-menu--layout-horizontal e--pointer-background e--animation-fade\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul id=\"menu-1-100bb6cc\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu\"><li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-478\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\">Home<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-636\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\">Resources for Students<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-639\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/courses\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Course Descriptions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-614\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/placement\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Placement and Credit\u200b<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-633\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\">Resources for Instructors<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-683\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/common-outcomes-and-requirements\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Common Outcomes and Requirements<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-647\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/open-educational-resources\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Open and Freely Available Educational Resources<\/a>\n\t<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-848\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/open-writing\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Open Writing<\/a><\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-672\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/syllabi\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Sample Syllabi and Course Plans<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-688\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/multimodal\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">New and Alternative Media Assignments<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-787\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/exemplar-texts\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Exemplar Texts<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-702\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/academic-integrity-and-plagiarism\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Academic Integrity and Plagiarism<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-862\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/ai\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Generative AI Resources<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-799\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/wac-wid\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">WAC\/WID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-808\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\">Forms<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-809\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/ferpa-waiver\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">FERPA Waiver<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-812\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/exemplar-text-submissions\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Exemplar Text Submissions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-820\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/freely-available-open-educational-resource-submissions\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Freely Available\/Open Educational Resource Submissions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-818\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/report-a-broken-link\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\">Report a Broken Link<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t<\/nav>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-toggle\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Menu Toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"elementor-menu-toggle__icon--open eicon-menu-bar\"><\/i><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"elementor-menu-toggle__icon--close eicon-close\"><\/i>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<nav class=\"elementor-nav-menu--dropdown elementor-nav-menu__container\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul id=\"menu-2-100bb6cc\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu\"><li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-home menu-item-478\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Home<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-636\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Resources for Students<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-639\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/courses\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Course Descriptions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-614\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/students\/placement\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Placement and Credit\u200b<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-633\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Resources for Instructors<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-683\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/common-outcomes-and-requirements\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Common Outcomes and Requirements<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-647\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/open-educational-resources\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Open and Freely Available Educational Resources<\/a>\n\t<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-848\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/open-writing\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Open Writing<\/a><\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-672\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/syllabi\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Sample Syllabi and Course Plans<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-688\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/multimodal\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">New and Alternative Media Assignments<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-787\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/exemplar-texts\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Exemplar Texts<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-702\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/academic-integrity-and-plagiarism\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Academic Integrity and Plagiarism<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-862\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/ai\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Generative AI Resources<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-799\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/instructors\/wac-wid\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">WAC\/WID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-808\"><a aria-expanded=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/\" class=\"elementor-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Forms<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-809\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/ferpa-waiver\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">FERPA Waiver<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-812\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/exemplar-text-submissions\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Exemplar Text Submissions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-820\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/freely-available-open-educational-resource-submissions\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Freely Available\/Open Educational Resource Submissions<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-818\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/report-a-broken-link\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item menu-link\" tabindex=\"-1\">Report a Broken Link<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t<\/nav>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-70677d5b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"70677d5b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-595ec17c\" data-id=\"595ec17c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe8f454 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"fe8f454\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f41ef59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f41ef59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reading Critically<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-20e0366 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"20e0366\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-9bbf13d\" data-id=\"9bbf13d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8646936 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8646936\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Reading requires skills that have to be learned, and college-level reading requires additional skills. In college, you are expected to read and understand what you read. But what exactly is reading? Reading is learning. It\u2019s intentional and active, a task that requires focus and attention. It\u2019s contextual\u2014it\u2019s two-way communication between an author and reader. It involves understanding and interpreting, thinking and reflecting, and making connections between previous experiences and learning.<\/p><p>Critical reading is a complex thinking technique that involves discovering and taking apart an author\u2019s meaning, evaluating the author\u2019s meanings based on established standards, and incorporating the meaning into the ideas you already know. Critical reading is more complicated than reading done for pleasure, which is why college reading is more difficult and takes more time than pleasure reading. Critical readers employ strategies including identifying the authors\u2019 ideas even when they\u2019re not stated directly, recognizing patterns, questioning, prioritizing ideas, and identifying and evaluating arguments, as well as creating new arguments.<\/p><h2>A Framework for Critical Reading<\/h2><p>Actively reading academic texts can be challenging for students used to reading for entertainment alone, but practicing the following steps will get you up to speed:<\/p><ul><li>Preview<\/li><li>Read<\/li><li>Summarize<\/li><li>Review<\/li><\/ul><h3>Preview<\/h3><p>Previewing reading assignments helps you think about your purpose for reading before you start to read. It also helps you connect new content to what you already know, making it easier to stay interested and focused on the reading.<\/p><p>Here\u2019s a list of questions to ask yourself before you start to read:<\/p><ul><li>Why did my professor assign this? What do they want me to get out of this?<\/li><li>What do I need to do with this information after I read it?<\/li><li>What\u2019s this text about?<\/li><li>What do I already know about it?<\/li><li>What questions do I have that this text might answer?<\/li><\/ul><p>You can start to formulate answers before you even begin reading. For example, if you are assigned a nonfiction book, read the title, the back of the book, and table of contents. Scanning this information can give you an initial idea of what you\u2019ll be reading and some useful context for thinking about it.<\/p><p>You can also preview a text by skimming it. Skimming means reading through quickly, skipping details, and focusing on the title of the chapter and, when available, the introduction, main headings, sub-headings, and summary.<\/p><h3>Read<\/h3><p>You have previewed the reading assignment. Now you are ready to begin reading. It\u2019s easy to fool yourself about reading. Having an open book in your hand, moving your eyes across a page\u2014none of that necessarily means that you are reading effectively. Reading takes mental focus. As you read, be conscious of where you are and what you are doing.<\/p><p>To begin, avoid marathon reading sessions. Schedule breaks, and set a reasonable goal for the entire session. Then, reward yourself with an enjoyable activity for 10 or 15 minutes every hour or two.<\/p><p>For difficult reading, set more limited goals. Read for a half-hour and then take a break. Most students find that shorter periods of reading distributed throughout the day and week can be more effective than long sessions.<\/p><p>As you read an academic text, you should take notes by hand or using the annotation features of software such as Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or Hypothes.is. Circle or highlight key concepts. Write down questions or comments. This will help you remember what you are reading and also build a personal connection with the subject matter.<\/p><h3>Summarize<\/h3><p>After you read an academic text, it\u2019s worth taking the time to write a short summary\u2014even if your instructor doesn\u2019t require it. The exercise of jotting down a few sentences or a short paragraph capturing the main ideas of the reading is enormously beneficial: it not only helps you understand and absorb what you read but gives you ready study and review materials for exams and other writing assignments.<\/p><h3>Review<\/h3><p>It always helps to revisit what you\u2019ve read for a quick refresher. It may not be practical to thoroughly reread assignments from start to finish, but before class discussions or tests, it\u2019s a good idea to skim through them to identify the main points, reread any notes at the ends of chapters, and review any summaries you\u2019ve written.<\/p><h2>Additional Strategies for Critical Reading<\/h2><p>In college it\u2019s not uncommon to experience frustration with reading assignments from time to time. Because you\u2019re doing more reading on your own outside the classroom, and with less frequent contact with instructors than you had in high school, it\u2019s possible you\u2019ll encounter readings that contain unfamiliar vocabulary or don\u2019t readily make sense. Different disciplines and subjects have different writing conventions and styles, and it can take some practice to get to know them. For example, scientific articles follow a very particular format and typically contain the following sections: an abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. If you are used to reading literary works, such as graphic novels or poetry, it can be disorienting to encounter these new forms of writing.<\/p><p>Below are some additional strategies for making different kinds of texts more approachable.<\/p><h3>Get to Know the Conventions<\/h3><p>Academic texts, like scientific studies and journal articles, may have sections that are new to you. If you\u2019re not sure what an \u201cabstract\u201d is, research it online or ask your instructor. Understanding the meaning and purpose of such conventions is not only helpful for reading comprehension but for writing, too.<\/p><h3>Look up and Keep Track of Unfamiliar Terms and Phrases<\/h3><p>Have a tab open for the Merriam-Webster dictionary when you read complex academic texts, so you can look up the meaning of unfamiliar words and terms. Many textbooks also contain glossaries or \u201ckey terms\u201d sections at the ends of chapters or the end of the book. If you can\u2019t find the words you\u2019re looking for in a standard dictionary, you may need one specially written for a particular discipline. For example, a medical dictionary would be a good resource for a course in anatomy and physiology.<\/p><p>If you circle or underline terms and phrases that appear repeatedly, you\u2019ll have a visual reminder to review and learn them. Repetition helps to lock in these new words and their meaning into long-term memory, so the more you review them, the more you\u2019ll understand and feel comfortable using them.<\/p><h3>Look for Main Ideas and Themes<\/h3><p>As a college student, you are not expected to understand every single word or idea presented in a reading, especially if you haven\u2019t discussed it in class yet. However, you will get more out of discussions and feel more confident about asking questions if you can identify the main idea or thesis in a reading. The thesis statement can often (but not always) be found in the introductory paragraph, and it may be introduced with a phrase like \u201cIn this essay I argue that\u2026\u201d Getting a handle on the overall reason an author wrote something (\u201cto prove X\u201d or \u201cto explore Y,\u201d for instance) gives you a framework for understanding more of the details. It\u2019s also useful to keep track of any themes you notice in the writing. A theme may be a recurring idea, word, or image that strikes you as interesting or important: \u201cThis story is about men working in a gloomy factory, but the author keeps mentioning birds and bats and windows. Why is that?\u201d<\/p><h3>Look for Reputable Online Sources<\/h3><p>Professors tend to assign reading from reputable print and online sources, so you can feel comfortable referencing such sources in class and for writing assignments. If you are looking for online sources independently, however, devote some time and energy to critically evaluating the quality of the source before spending time reading any resources you find there. Find out what you can about the author (if one is listed), the website, and any affiliated sponsors it may have. Check that the information is current and accurate against similar information on other pages. Depending on what you are researching, sites that end in \u201c.edu\u201d (indicating an \u201ceducation\u201d site such as a college, university, or other academic institution) may be more reliable than \u201c.com\u201d sites.<\/p><h3>Pay Attention to Visual Information<\/h3><p>Images in textbooks or journals usually contain valuable information to help you more deeply grasp a topic. Graphs and charts, for instance, help show the relationship between different kinds of information or data\u2014how a population changes over time, how a virus spreads through a population, etc.<\/p><p>Data-rich graphics can take longer to \u201cread\u201d than the text around them because they present a lot of information in a condensed form. Give yourself plenty of time to study these items, as they often provide new and lasting insights.<\/p><h2>Vocabulary-Building Techniques<\/h2><p>Gaining confidence with unique terminology used in different disciplines can help you be more successful in your courses and in college generally. In addition to the suggestions described earlier, such as looking up unfamiliar words in dictionaries, the following are additional vocabulary-building techniques for you to try.<\/p><h3>Read Everything and Read Often<\/h3><p>Reading frequently both in and out of the classroom will help strengthen your vocabulary. Whenever you read a book, magazine, newspaper, blog, or any other resource, keep a running list of words you don\u2019t know. Look up the words as you encounter them and try to incorporate them into your own speaking and writing.<\/p><h3>Make Connections to Words You Already Know<\/h3><p>Sometimes you can look at a new word and guess the definition based on similar words whose meaning you know. For example, if you are reading a biology book on the human body and come across the word malignant, you might guess that this word means something negative if you already know the word malfunction, which shares the \u201cmal-\u201d prefix.<\/p><h3>Make Index Cards<\/h3><p>If you are studying certain words for a test, or you know that certain phrases will be used frequently in a course or field, try making flashcards for review. For each key term, write the word on one side of an index card and the definition on the other. Drill yourself, and then ask your friends to help quiz you.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c023be elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"4c023be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5201aa4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5201aa4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This chapter includes material from the following sources:<\/p><ul><li>Carr, Jolene. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/chapter\/text-how-to-read-for-college\/\">How to Read for College<\/a>.\u201d College Success. Lumen Learning, n.d. CC BY.<\/li><li>Parrot, Jill M., Dominic J. Ashby, and Jonathon Collins. <a href=\"https:\/\/open.umn.edu\/opentextbooks\/textbooks\/1332\"><em>The Commons: Tools for Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric<\/em><\/a>. EKUOPEN: Open Textbooks, 2022. CC BY-NC.<\/li><li>Richardson, Grace. <a href=\"https:\/\/mhcc.pressbooks.pub\/rd90-115\/\"><em>Developing Reading Skills<\/em><\/a>. MHCC Library Press, 2019. CC BY.<\/li><li>The Learning Center. \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/mdev.hawaii.edu\/tlc\/home\/learning-resources\/college-reading-strategies\/\">College Level Reading Strategies<\/a>.\u201d University of Hawai\u2019i, Maui College, n.d. CC BY.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bce8d5f elementor-post-navigation-borders-yes elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-navigation\" data-id=\"bce8d5f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-navigation.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Post Navigation\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation__prev elementor-post-navigation__link\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/forms\/freely-available-open-educational-resource-submissions\/\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"post-navigation__arrow-wrapper post-navigation__arrow-prev\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-angle-left\"><\/i><span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Prev<\/span><\/span><span class=\"elementor-post-navigation__link__prev\"><span 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elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40777281\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4728cf2b\" data-id=\"4728cf2b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-4f88d1e1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4f88d1e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-wider\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-7c39e065\" data-id=\"7c39e065\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5820a941 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5820a941\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">CONTACT INFORMATION<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c64d2b2 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6c64d2b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Writing Program Administrators<\/h3><p><strong>Erick Piller<\/strong><br \/>Peltier Hall 251B<br \/><a href=\"mailto:erick.piller@nicholls.edu\">erick.piller@nicholls.edu<\/a><br \/>985-448-4980<\/p><p><strong>Scott Banville<\/strong><br \/>Peltier Hall 143F<br \/><a href=\"mailto:scott.banville@nicholls.edu\">scott.banville@nicholls.edu<\/a><br \/>985-448-4445<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Critically Reading requires skills that have to be learned, and college-level reading requires additional skills. In college, you are expected to read and understand what you read. But what exactly is reading? Reading is learning. It\u2019s intentional and active, a task that requires focus and attention. It\u2019s contextual\u2014it\u2019s two-way communication between an author and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-837","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reading Critically - Writing Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/writing\/open-textbook__trashed\/reading-critically\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reading Critically - Writing Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reading Critically Reading requires skills that have to be learned, and college-level reading requires additional skills. 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