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Academic Skills Center: Reading Strategies

This guide provides a compilation of resources designed to assist students throughout their time at Central Seminary.

Reading in Seminary

Reading books, articles, and blogs will comprise a significant amount of your time during seminary as you prepare for classes. Especially in the first year, the amount of reading can seem overwhelming. Also, it can be difficult to determine what the most important points or takeaways are. This page contains tips and resources for tackling your reading assignments, taking good notes, and creating good habits related to reading. Most students are juggling multiple responsibilities in addition to completing the readings assigned for class. Therefore, it is important to approach reading with a plan. 

Before You Read

Though it may seem counterproductive at first, there are several steps you should take before starting to read that can improve your overall comprehension and preparation for class. Before reading a text, 

  • Determine the type of reading. Is this an academic article, a textbook, an opinion piece, a personal reflection, etc.?
  • Identify your goal/purpose for the reading. Is it giving background information for a lecture, forming the basis for a class discussion, providing sources for a research paper, etc.?
  • Spend a few minutes researching the author(s). How might their background or training impact their writing or perspective?
  • Skim the title and the titles of any section headings and subheadings. Based on these, what might the reading be about? How might it be organized? 
  • Decide how long to spend on the reading. You likely will not have time to read every word of everything assigned, so it is important to budget your time for the most important readings.

While You Read

In addition to identifying and employing the note-taking strategy that works best for you, here are a few other tips to try and questions to think about while you are reading.

  • Read the introduction and conclusion first. Try to identify the author's main idea or argument.
  • At the end of each section, write a 1-2 sentence summary of the main points in your own words. 
  • Ask how each section connects to the main idea or argument of the reading. What evidence does the author use to support their point? 
  • If there is something you are confused about while reading, be sure to write it down. Asking questions is an excellent way to participate in class or contribute to a discussion.
  • Keep a list of unfamiliar words or references to look up after you finish reading.

Taking Notes

Taking notes while reading is an effective strategy to help you identify the most important points and prepare to participate in class. There are multiple ways to take good notes, so you may need to experiment with one or two to determine which style works best for you. Additionally, one style may work better for a particular class or topic than another. Good note-taking requires you to actively participate in the reading—rather than simply highlighting whole paragraphs or directly copying the text, try highlighting only key words and phrases or summarizing the text in your own words. Check out the links below for more information on taking useful notes and examples of the most popular note-taking styles. 

Taking Notes While Reading

Note Taking Strategies

After You Read

Once you have finished reading, it is helpful to check your comprehension of the information and come to class prepared.

  • Can you summarize the reading's main idea and most important points in your own words? 
  • After completing the reading, what questions do you still have?
  • How does this reading connect to other readings in the class? Are they on the same topic, did it provide a different perspective, did it challenge a previous reading, etc.?
  • What is your perspective or opinion on the reading? How might it relate to you and/or your experience? 

The tips and strategies included on this page are not exhaustive. Be sure to check out the links below for additional information about reading well. 

Reading Strategies (Harvard)

Reading Comprehension (UNC)

Reading Tips (UT-Chattanooga)