English Language Development Academic Reading Skills

Academic reading goes beyond merely reading and highlighting your text. You need to be actively interacting with the text, thinking critically, and making connections between the text and what you already know or have experienced.

Reading academic material is very different from reading for pleasure. With academic acticles, you need to be able to understand the arguments and analyze the text. Additionally, you may have to evaluate the arguments as well.

Expanding your vocabulary is the key to helping you achieve your goals at university and become confident in communicating with others.




[B]Useful Tips:[/COLOR][/B]

1.  Refer to the How to Read Critically and Critical Thinking handouts available at the Writing Centre to learn useful strategies.

2.  Do not merely highlight your texts. Learn actively by making notes and mind mapping important concepts using key terminology.

3.  Learn how to make sense of Academic Texts Which Appear Complicated.

4.  Attend the Writing Centre seminar on "Reading Academic Texts"

5.   Focus on expanding your vocabulary. Click here to read what research shows about the importance of vocabulary expanding.