GSI$Teaching$&$Resource$Center,$Graduate$Division,$UC$Berkeley$
even$skipped).$So$allocate$your$time$and$effort$wisely,$in$proportion$to$the$difficulty$and$
significance$of$the$passage.$
Annotate!the!Text!as!you!Read!
Read$with$a$pen$or$pencil$in$hand$and$mark$the$progression,$twists,$and$turns$of$the$argument$
as$it$unfolds.$You$can$devise$yo u r$o w n $ste n og ra p hic $sy ste m $(a rro w s ,$sta rs,$circ lin gs ,$
underlinings,$etc.)$to$highlight$in$a$consistent$and$economical$manner$the$main$names,$dates,$
definitions,$and$logical$turning$points,$conclusions,$and$implications,$etc.$But$do$not$defeat$your$
purpose$and$highlight$everything.$
Pay!Attention!to!Passages!that!Confuse!
It$may$b e ,$as $yo u $b e g in $to $r ea d $s ch o la rs h ip ,$th a t$t h e $te rms$or$lang u a ge $u s ed $b y $a n $author$m ay $
seem$confusing,$or$that$the$writing$may$be$impene trable.$Be$confident$that$you$ ca n$still$read$
critically$difficult$texts,$and$be$aware$that$reading$these$texts$may$take$a$bit$more$time$than$
reading$prose $that$is$w ritten $to$be $m ore $acce ssib le.$No te$the $sou rce$o f$con fus ion .$Is$there$a$ke y$
term$being$use d$in$a n$un familiar$or$unclear$way?$If$so,$revisit$the$beginning$of$the$text$(or$any$
other$passages$that$set$up$the$framework$of$the$argument)$to$see$if$there$are$helpful$
definitions.$Don’t$forget$that$a$dictionary$is$a$tremendous$aid$—$it$w ill$g ive $y ou $a $ra n ge $o f$
meanings$for$the$term$and/or$related$terms$that$will$allow$you$to$discover,$with$the$help$of$the$
surrounding$context,$what$is$being$said.$Is$the$writing$difficult$to$read$on$the$sentence^level?$T ry$
diagramming$a$sentence,$untangling$complex$syntax,$to$see$if$the$writer’s$meaning$becomes$
clear$(and$then,$having$learned$a$bit$about$the$writer’s$habits,$learn$what$you$know$to$unravel$
other$difficult$passages).$Ignoring$difficult$vocabulary$or$passages$will$likely$leave$you$unclear$
about$the$author’s$overall$work.$
Notice!the!Author’s!Relationship!with!Other!Scholarship!
Are$there$footnotes$and$other$references$to$scholarly$work?$Does$that$author$incorporate$
others’$research$without$comment,$or$does$the$author$discuss$the$pros$and$cons$of$this$
research?$An $article$th at$en gag es$w ith$o the r$scho larship$is$likely$to$have$been$thought$through $
more$thoroughly$than$one$that$sticks$in$references$with$no$articulated$reasons.$
Write!Up!Notes!Immediately!After!Reading!
If$you’ve$r ea d $a $te x t$with$an$ac tive $a n a lyt ica l$in te n tio n,$you$sho u ld $b e $a b le $to $s ummarize$and$
reconstruct$the $m ain $lines$of$its$arg um e nt(s ).$Imm e dia tely$up o n$finish ing $you r$read ing ,$write,$
type,$or$scribble$a$sho rt$reca pitula tion$o f$wh at$yo u$jus t$abso rb ed .$Wh at$w a s$the$ke y$qu estio n$
posed$by$the$author,$what$answers$were$given$to$it,$what$concepts$or$theories$we re$intro du ced ,$
what$evidence$adduced,$how$does$this$or$that$thesis$or$theory$differ$from$rival$views,$etc.$Use$
your$annotations$and$marginalia$as$guides$and$signposts;$if$the$text$introduces$new$concepts,$
make$a$note$of$them$and$write$dow n $t he ir$d e fin itio n $(a s$g iv en $b y $th e $au th o r$a n d /o r$
reconstructed $by $you );$if$it$contrasts$se vera l$ph en om e na $or$the orie s,$enu m era te$w h at$m ak es$
them$differen t$or$sim ilar.$Use$w h ate ver$de vice s$(table s,$lists,$bullets,$diagram s ,$etc.)$give$you $the $
best$synoptic$and$synthetic$view$of$the$piece$you’ve$read.$I$highly$recommend$that$you$try$and$
diagram$the$major$argument(s)$made$by$the$author.$If$you$can$draw$an$author’s$argument,$you$
likely$get$it.$Y o u r$re a d ing $n o te s$will$be$invalu a b le$s e lf^teaching$and$learning$aids$as$long$as$you$
study$(and$beyond).$