12b Moving beyond previewing a source

12bMoving beyond previewing a source

Researchers examining research writing by first-year college students report that student writers often seem to use a quotation or paraphrase from the very beginning of a source—and then set that source aside and go on to something else. By skimming or even skipping the rest of the source, such writers may well miss information that could be useful to them. In addition, this research project strongly suggests that student writers often have not read a source carefully, or have misinterpreted or misunderstood it. Again, once you identify a source that seems particularly useful to you, you need to read it carefully—and make sure that you have grasped its meaning. That means reading most or all of the source, not just the first page.