Books and Articles

   When studying in college and graduate schools students are challenged in many ways. You do not only record your ideas in an ordinary composition class but you are required to deeply investigate and examine some matters taught at school. Research is an essential part of achieving success at school and books and scholastic articles are essential tools for it. 

   Reading everything that is recommended by your professors is an impossible task therefore you need to use some sort of technique to optimize your reading process. One of the most famous and successful formulas is “SQ3R”. This acronym means: Survey, Question, Read, Recall, Review. 

   Let us deliberate more specifically about each of the components of this formula. 

   To Survey means that you need to identify needed sources of information. While deciding which book or article you will choose, take notes of the publishing dates, preface, contents, summary and opening paragraphs. Such close investigation will leave you with only a handful of sources you truly need. 

   To Question is to honestly ask yourself what exactly you desire to find in this book/article. Be defying your purpose you will find information you need easier. 

   To Read is to look for the supporting facts and arguments to back up your idea. There are also ways of effective reading process such as: skimming the page to get a general gist; scanning for the material you are looking for; search reading when you look for specific terms; perusing or writing down information you will use in your paper. 

   While reading, especially scientific literature, make sure to take many breaks as your memory gets tired easily and will not register the material being read. Taking time off to relax will result in a more productive reading. 

   When you are done with the research part of the writing process and are about to start your paper/essay, make sure to use citations of the sources you are using. Cite your sources every time you use words or even ideas that do not originally belong to you.