How to go through your readings
I am the kind of person who likes to do things systematically, so here’s kind of a routine of how I go through my readings (this is applicable to all readings, and if you are wondering, I study law (thus this includes cases) and social sciences.1. Glance through your reading once - look at the titles, have a brief idea of the structure of it.
- Philosophical papers (social sciences readings), for example, typically have a structure and a main idea throughout the paper. This is the step where you try to figure out its structure and the point that the author is trying to illustrate.
- For cases, you can have a look at how many judgements and a brief look at the facts to know what you are about to read.
2. Highlight your reading - colour coding is fundamental. It will help you to keep track of the structure and main point of the readings.
- This is my system:
- Red: main/central idea of the article
- Pink: subsequent point
- Orange: subsequent point of the points in pink
- Yellow: other important information
- Green: key words
- Blue: conclusion
3. Type an outline of the article - you may skip this part if you want, but if your exams syllabus include that reading, it will be very handy for you to have an outline so that you don’t have to go back and read the reading once again.
- Basically this part is where you type/write the information you deem important or that will be examined. You should do it in an outline format so that it will be easier for you to study.
4. Summarise the outline/reading on an index card - this is a way to show yourself that you have truly completed the reading. Have the very important information on index card will recall your memory regarding the reading, and the more index cards you got, the higher the motivation you will have to complete the readings since you can see tangible progress. It’s also a great way to review the information especially before/after lectures or before exams.
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