Adopting Different Reading Styles

To be a really effective reader you need to be able to vary your style of reading.

It's likely that you already do this instinctively to some extent. Consider how you would read:

• a blockbuster novel
• a newspaper
• a poem
• an instruction manual

When reading for pleasure you may read quickly, with few breaks and without worrying about having to recall details later. By contrast, when consulting an instruction manual you may read only one or two paragraphs, but you read them very carefully, making sure you understand the details.

When reading complex material, since your objective is to understand it as well as possible, you will need to adapt your reading style to this purpose.

The topics on the left hand side of this page introduce you to some recognised reading styles, so that you can be more aware of your own approach, and thereby improve your study strategies.