Effective Reading
The Anatomy of a Book
Author/ Editor/ Translator
- Is there any information inside the book about the author's (or editor's
or translator's) background, other publications, or experience relevant
to the subject?
- Do you know anything else about the author or any other of his/her
writings?
Publication Details
- When was the book written?
- What is the publication date of your copy of the book?
- Has the book been revised?
- Which edition is the book?
- Who is the publisher?
- In which countries has the book been published?
Preface/ Foreword/ Introduction
- What information do these sections give you about why the book was written,
its place in its field, how to read it?
Text of the Book
- What do the introduction and conclusion tell you?
- Are there guides to your reading, such as summaries of chapters or
subheadings?
- Does the author spell out the theme, thesis or argument of the book
in the introduction, chapter headings or elsewhere?
Bibliography and References
- How comprehensive are any footnotes, endnotes or a bibliography?
- Does the author use recently published items in references and the
bibliography?
- Is it a summary of all sources consulted or only the major ones?
Index
- Has the index sufficient detail to enable you to easily locate areas
of interest?
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Asking Questions as You Read
As you read a section of a book or article, look for information to help
you answer the following questions.
The Author's Purpose
- Has a contemporary issue or a particular philosophy influenced the
author's purpose?
- Is the author defending a particular point of view?
- For whom is the material intended?
- How does the author argument or perspective relate to other material
in the field?
Content
- What is the main theme (thesis or argument) in the material?
- What main points are used to justify or support this theme?
- What explanation or evidence is used to support the main points?
- Does the evidence seem well researched and accurate?
- Which aspects of the topic has the author chosen to concentrate on
or omit?
- Is there any evidence of deliberate bias, such as interpretation
of material or choice of sources or factual information?
- How do the contents relate to what you know about the topic?
- In what style has the material been written? For example,is it formal
or informal, simple or complex, didactic or persuasive, narrative,
analytical?
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References
Macqueen, C 1998, Getting Ahead in Tertiary Study,
UNSW Press, Sydney.
Marshall, L & Rowland,
F 1993, A
Guide to Learning Independently,
Longman Cheshire, Melbourne.
Northedge, A 1990, The good study guide, Open University, Milton Keynes.
