Responding to Reading

You may be accustomed to reading simply for facts or main ideas. However, critical reading is far more active than fact hunting. It requires responding, questioning, and challenging as you read.

Reading Deeply. College assignments often require more concentration than other readings do. Use these questions to dive below the surface:

See section C in the Quick Research Guide, for more on evaluating what you read.

See a Critical Reading Checklist.

Annotating the Text. Writing notes on the page (or on a copy if the material is not your own) is a useful way to trace the author’s points, question them, and add your own comments as they pop up. The following passage ends the introduction of “The New Science of Siblings,” written by Jeffrey Kluger (with reporting by Jessica Carsen, Wendy Cole, and Sonja Steptoe) and featured as the cover story in the July 10, 2006, Time (pp. 47–48). Notice how one writer annotated this passage:

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When you annotate a reading, don’t passively highlight big chunks of text. Instead, respond actively using pen or pencil or adding a comment to a file. Next, read slowly and carefully so that you can follow what the reading says and how it supports its point. Record your own reactions, not what you think you are supposed to say:

For advice on keeping a writer’s journal, see Ch. 19.

Keeping a Reading Journal. A reading journal is an excellent place to record not just what you read but how you respond to it. As you read actively, you will build a reservoir of ideas for follow-up writing. Use a special notebook or an easy-to-sort research file to address questions like these: