Study Notes on Reading Strategies and Referencing

Reading Strategies

  • There are four essential reading strategies that are crucial for university studies:

    • Scanning

    • Skimming

    • Comprehensive reading

    • Critical reading

  • Each reading strategy serves a unique purpose:

    • Scanning: Saves time by locating specific information quickly.

    • Skimming: Determines relevance of information and gets a general overview before thorough reading.

    • Comprehensive Reading: Aims to understand the essence of a text in detail.

    • Critical Reading: Involves making judgements about the information presented in a text.

Scanning for Specific Information

  • Definition: Scanning involves quickly searching through a text to locate specific information, e.g., finding a word in a dictionary.

  • Nature of Scanning: It is a superficial reading technique, applicable to:

    • Tables of contents

    • Glossaries

    • Indexes

    • Dictionaries

    • Telephone directories

  • Purpose: Scanning is targeted, often driven by a specific question or need, thereby eliminating the necessity to read the entire text.

  • Technique: During scanning, vision should move quickly across the text to find the needed information instead of reading every word.

Guidelines for Scanning

  • Understand the organization of your reading material:

    • Dictionaries and telephone directories are organized alphabetically.

    • Glossary entries at the back of textbooks are also organized alphabetically and provide page references.

    • Recognize how graphic information such as figures, tables, or charts are structured.

    • The content of a book can be outlined in the table of contents with corresponding page numbers for chapters.

  • Maintain focus on the specific information sought to avoid distractions.

  • Utilize available aids for efficient information retrieval:

    • Headwords at the top of dictionary pages indicate the first and last entries.

    • Important terms are often emphasized in italics or bold.

    • Take advantage of structural elements like headings, typically formatted in a larger or distinctive font.

  • Verification: After locating information, read surrounding sentences to confirm that the information found is correct.

Skimming

  • Definition: Skimming is a strategic form of reading that enables you to quickly gather an overview of a text before deeper analysis.

  • Purpose: The primary goal is to save time while enhancing understanding of the subject matter.

  • Application: By skimming a chapter in preparation for class, you gain a preliminary understanding which aids in later comprehension of detailed reading.

  • Method: Read sections of a book or journal article quickly to extract pertinent information relevant to specific interests or assignments (e.g., researching effects of pollutants on the environment).

Accessing Information: Referencing

  • By the conclusion of this unit, students should be adept at:

    • Utilizing the Harvard method of referencing to acknowledge sources accurately.

    • Identifying different types of information in texts.

    • Using correct in-text referencing

    • Compiling an accurate list of references.

What is Plagiarism?

  • Discussion Points:

    • Why is plagiarism a serious concern for universities?

    • Explore the repercussions associated with submitting plagiarized work.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

  • Key to avoiding plagiarism is proper acknowledgment of sources:

    • Always identify sources or authors according to established referencing rules.

    • References lead readers to trace the borrowed information back to its original context for verification.

  • Harvard Method of Referencing:

    • In-text Referencing: After quoting or paraphrasing, include the author’s surname, publication year, and page number in brackets, e.g., (Nkosi, 2000:123).

    • List of References: At the end of each assignment, include a comprehensive list of all sources used in that work.

In-Text Referencing

  • There are two forms of referencing used when citing information from sources:

    • Direct Quotations: Repeat the author’s exact words within quotation marks and provide in-text citations, e.g., (Author, Year: Page).

    • Indirect Quotations: Paraphrase information in your own words yet still reference the original source indicating the author and year of publication (Author, Year:Page).

Important Information for In-Text Referencing

  • Essential components required in in-text referencing include:

    • Author’s surname

    • Year of publication

    • Page number

Two Ways of Referencing In-Text

  • There are two methods for placing citations:

    1. Precede the information presented with the source:

    • Example: “According to Johnston (2020:34), ‘academic literacy is a second language for all new entrants at university.’”

    1. Follow the information with the source:

    • Example: “Academic literacy is a second language for all new entrants at university (Johnston, 2020:34).”

Long Quotation

  • It is mentioned by Duncan (2023:12):


    • "The ability……………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………….. In this way, students will be able to…"

Example of Referencing

  • Example discussed: When taxes are levied on products:

    • Implications include price increase but also generating revenue for the government.

    • The outcome on price and demand is influenced by the price elasticity of the product.

  • Example of source for citation:

    • Author’s surname: Kleynhans

    • Year of Publication: 2009

    • Page: 25

    • Note: Include all references for direct citations.