I have difficulty reading a book efficiently (C1, C6-C8, C10).
Identify structures
Effective reading always necessitates that you have an idea about why you read the material (A9, A10). Effective reading requires a selective approach to the contents of written material. It is very often not necessary to read a book or an article from ‘cover to cover’, but how should one select the relevant parts? A good insight into the structure of a book, or the nature of an article, can considerably shorten the reading time and can still give sufficient input for a research project or help you in understanding the exam reading better. In the early phases of your reading (level 1), it is particularly difficult to identify inappropriate argumentation or badly written articles and books. Fortunately, reading it is something you can do at your own pace, at times which suit you best and with repetition (if needed). Reading, therefore, remains a skill that is easiest to train and still the best input for study, writing, presentations and management.
Before close reading: Identify the organisation of the text
The structure of good analytical writing is predictable. You should be able to get a reasonable idea of the nature of the argumentation before you start studying a text in detail. If a writer has followed the general principles used for scientific texts (E*) the text has a structure that is intended to represent the main idea of the argumentation. The structure will be hierarchical or pyramidal and relatively easy to identify.
• The central theme is often included in the (sub)title. Have you ever really looked closely at the title of a text? Take a minute to look at the title, and think about the kind information you get in relation to (1) your own interests, (2) the nature of the question addressed by the author, (3) the nature of the argumentation developed in the text. Titles reveal a lot about the intentions of the author.
• Supporting themes make up the chapters and sections. In the introduction you will find a description of the problem which is addressed and the sequence in which the analysis is presented. Each chapter or section presents further introductions to these themes and refers back to the ones mentioned previously.
• The detailed components of the argumentation make up each paragraph in a (sub)section. Each paragraph will include only one thought, proof or evidence in support of the general argumentation.
• Often the author has also added (sub)headings to help you to keep track of the argumentation.
• Finally, the text and sentences include many additional supportive tools to help you to find the structure of the argumentation:
• signal words or numerical signs: 1,2,3; 1.1, 1.2, 1.3; A, B; or ‘firstly, secondly’;
• typographical signs: in particular italics or underlines are added to place an emphasis.
• Conclusions are announced as such and include a summary of the argumentation and the way the evidence has been collected (inductive or deductive) to arrive at the conclusion. If an author has used this kind of organisation it is relatively easy to decide whether this line of reasoning appeals to you and/or fits into your own research aims. If you understand the basic structure well, it is also far easier to memorise the text if you read it in preparation for an exam (B6).
