Academic Writing

Reading
Developing Critical
Approaches
UNIT
1.3
Students are expected to take a critical approach to sources, and this requires a
good understanding of written texts. This unit:
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explains effective reading methods
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examines common text features, including abstracts
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explores and practises a critical analysis of texts
1 Reading methods
It is easy for students to underestimate the importance of reading skills. But, especially for
international students, reading academic texts in the quantity required for most courses is a
demanding task. Yet students will not benefit from attending lectures and seminars unless the
preparatory reading is done promptly, while most writing tasks require extensive reading.
Moreover, academic texts often contain new vocabulary and phrases, and may be written in
a rather formal style. This means that special methods have to be learnt to cope with the volume
of reading required, which is especially important when you are reading in another language.
Clearly, you do not have time to read every word published on the topic you are studying, so
you must first choose carefully what you read and then assess it thoroughly.
The chart opposite illustrates the best approach to choosing suitable texts.
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Complete the empty boxes in the chart with the following techniques:
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Read intensively to make notes on key points
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Scan text for information you need (e.g. names)
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Survey text features (e.g. abstract, contents, index)

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Choosing suitable texts
1.3: Reading: Developing Critical Approaches
17
Read title and
sub-title carefully
Skim text for gist – is it relevant?
Read extensively when useful
sections are found
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Can you suggest any other reading skills to add to the chart above?
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