Reading in the sciences

Helen’s five platinum rules when reading for academic purposes:

1. Select from recommended and respected academic or professional sources.

2. Know your purpose for reading a particular text now.

3. Know how the text works and use that knowledge to read more efficiently.

4. Record the key points from the text and your critical response to it.

5. Keep good records so that you don’t have to


a. reread

b. check the bibliographic details later.

Being a good reader doesn’t guarantee you know all you need to know about reading for specialised purposes. If you missed the session last week, watch out for the next advertised session on reading more effectively – early next year.

See these useful resources on reading:

· Reading critically and analytically

· Reading log

· Remembering your work

Helen