UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER
Active Reading
Infographic guide adapted from: Writer's Resource Lab. (2016). Active reading
[Handout]. University Writing Center, CSULB.
What is active
reading?
Academic reading is not a passive
activity. It requires purposeful and
active engagement with the text. In
order to fully absorb and understand
densely written material, you must read
actively by taking steps to understand
OVERVIEW a text before, during, and after your full
reading of it.
You should develop your own personal
active reading process, one that works
best for you. The following slides
include some suggestions.
Steps for active
reading?
ACTIVE READING STEPS
Step 1: Pre-Reading
Preview or scan the
text before reading it
entirely.
Step 2: Reading
Actively interact with
the text while reading.
Step 3: Review & Reflect.
Think about the material
after reading the text fully.
Step 1: Pre-Reading
1. Author or Publisher
Consider who wrote or published the information and
whether they're trustworthy.
2. Review: Title, Author and Headings
Then look for words and phrases in bold, underline or
italics. Glance briefly at charts, graphs, or other visuals.
3. Predict or Infer
Try to predict what the main point might be, as well
as the author’s purpose and biases.
4. Form Questions
Form questions about the topic based on headings.
You can then try to answer these questions during
your reading.
Step 2: Reading
1. Read Slowly
Think about what you are reading
to interact with the text.
2. Annotate
Write down any thoughts or questions
that come to you and try to answer them.
3. Predict or Infer
Try to predict what the main point,
purpose, and biases might be.
Step 2: Reading Cont'd
4. Annotate Words/Ideas That Seem Difficult Or New
Highlight, underline, or circle words and ideas that seem difficult or
are new to you. Try rereading the text for comprehension, search
online or continue reading, and then come back to the annotation.
5. Summarize Each Body Paragraph Or Section
Even three- or four-word summaries will help you
remember what you read and make it easy for you to find
a particular section again later on.
6. Answer Questions From The Pre-Reading
Do they still seem relevant? Do you have new questions
that require further reading or thought?
Step 3: Review & Reflect
1. Write An Objective Summary
Summarize the main points in your own
words. Do NOT include your opinion.
2. Write An Evaluation
Add an evaluation section in which you evaluate
the author’s argument, effectiveness, or bias.
3. Review Your Annotations
Review any annotations or markings made. Then
try to put everything together and draw
conclusions about the text.
4. Make Connections
Connect ideas within the text as well as other
class readings or your personal experience.
The academic reading process begins
before you read the text and continues after
reading. This helps ensure that you
thoughtfully consider the reading and try to
connect it with things outside the text,
rather than simply reading the words on the
page.
It may seem that this active reading process
takes longer than passively reading, and,
indeed, it does. However, reading actively
helps you get more out of the text and, in
Conclusion
turn, more out of your time. For example, if
you spend fifteen minutes passively reading
a chapter, you probably won’t comprehend
and remember many of the important points.
If you read it actively in, say, thirty minutes,
however, you will be more likely to fully
understand and be able to recall what you
have read.
Active reading helps you make better use of
your reading time while improving your
comprehension of the material.