This term I'm realizing a lot of students in the liberal arts aren't sure how to/aren't comfortable with reading academic articles, books, etc. But this is vital! So here's a thread. 1/10
I just want to start by saying I remember crying over my workload at Colgate because as a first generation student, and a chronically ill/disabled student, I was totally overwhelmed by the page counts I was expected to read. 2/10
Now I know that I should have been skimming. And I should have been taking thoughtful notes, using notetaking software, that I could use to build a personal archive of content. 3/10
Tip 1: Don't do work twice! Save those citations using Zotero when you finish a reading. Make a notetaking template using Evernote or a similar notetaking tool that will let you tag notes by content, build folders, and search for phrases and key terms. 4/10
Tip 2: Learn to skim well and practice! For books read the intro, conclusion, and table of contents first. Read the first page of the chapter. Skim the first and last sentence of each paragraph. Read the last page of the chapter. 5/10
For an article, do the same on a shorter scale. Read the intro and conclusion, read the first and last sentence of every paragraph. Then fill out your notetaking template and figure out what you're missing. 6/10
Did you catch the argument? What types of evidence is the author using? Who else are they engaging with - agreeing/disagreeing/building from? Do you believe the evidence supports the argument? Make some value judgements - does the author do what they set out to do? 7/10
If you don't have these answers, go back and read more carefully until the template is filled out. Remember you're not just reading to memorize facts, you're reading to form an opinion and to position yourself in relation to another author's argument. 8/10
Tip 3: practice speed runs. See how fast you can do this work, and how comprehensive your readings are. You will get faster and more efficient with practice. So build a notetakng template you can use for the entirety of your college career. Make it count! 9/10
Taking good notes will make you realize that you have opinions and critiques and real interventions to make in the field. And it will support you when you take tests, write papers, or do projects. 10/10 #AcademicChatter #PhDChat #AcademicTwitter #AcademicWriting
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