Thesis and Essay Writing

Reading is one of the most significant learning activities for academic success. When conducting academic research, you may need to read hundreds of books and papers. If you want to focus on the key point and read efficiently, you must familiarize yourself with the resources you are searching for and the structure of references. Make the most of your reading time by using the following skills and quick tips. Study Smarter!

Navigating journal articles

Journal article layout

Knowing the standard layout of a journal article is one of the most important steps in developing your approach to academic reading, as it allows you to quickly identify key points of information and get an overview of the content and detail of the article. When reading a journal article, look out for:

Read a journal article in simple steps

1. Scan before you read

• Is it necessary to read the entire article? What part will provide the information you need?
• What information will be covered in each section?
• Preview the heading, subheading, graph and table.

2. Skim the article and identify its structure and idea

• Is this relevant to the topic of my essay?
• Most academic journals adopt an IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion).
• Take a quick look at the title, abstract, introduction, and conclusion to get a general understanding.

3. Key fact of the article

• What is the key argument of this article?
• How does it relate to other articles you have read?
• Do you understand at least half of what was written?
• Is this article still relevant to you?
• Read the results and conclusion to identify the features of the article.
• Discover the article's findings, its shortcomings, and its implications.
• Stop reading if it does not make sense!

4. Full content with note-taking

• Have you jotted down one key point that I can use in your essay?
• Can you identify several key points that will be worthwhile for my essay?
• Focus on a particular section that is related to your research question
• Make notes and annotate the article as you read.
• Look up any concepts or terms that you don't understand.

Reference: 

Library, University of York. (2022, Apr 8). Reading academic articles. https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/skills/reading-articles

Note-taking can help you to focus and get the most out of the time that you spend reading.

How to organize your notes well?

1. Key and supporting ideas

• Skim the text to identify relevant information.
• Find out the major and minor points through topic sentences.

Know more at How to take notes, RMIT University Library Learning Lab

2. Organizing information

2.1 Using mind maps

• Link together circles or concepts that are related
• Templates and tools
  • Canvas
  • Miro
• 5W2H method

Know more at Maximising your study sessions, RMIT University Library Learning Lab

2.2 Bullet points

• Draw attention to important information
• Short and simple
• Have a clear order

3. Visual techniques e.g. highlighting, graphics, colors

• Highlight or underline to identify important points
• Use arrows or graphics to draw connections between ideas

Know more at Read the case, RMIT University Library Learning Lab

4. Abbreviation and symbols

4.1 Common abbreviations list

4.2 Common symbols lists