Select key words
The purpose of selection is to reduce the volume of information to the essential according to one's reading intention. The most common mistake is to highlight as you read, when an overview of the text or paragraph is needed before you can start selecting relevant information (Ruph, 2010).
Knowing how to identify key words in a lecture or text you need to read will help you throughout your studies and in your professional life. Keywords serve as a memory aid for finding relevant information when reviewing course notes for an exam or exercise. After a lesson or reading a text, you could reread your notes and identify key words by using a highlighter, boxing them in the text or writing them in the left-hand margin (whichever method suits you best).
Identifying the keywords to answer an exam question can also help you remember relevant information to answer it. You can also use these keywords to help you structure your answer by identifying the different parts of your writing plan.
Advantages
Identifying key words helps to improve your understanding of what you read. It makes it easier to remember information and to retrieve important information from long-term memory.
To get started
Questions to ask yourself :
What word or concept best identifies the subject of a paragraph, text or section of my course notes?
When reading a text, identify key words by highlighting them with a marker (box them or write them in the margin).
To integrate this strategy, choose a text to read (or that you have already read) or notes that you have taken for one of your courses. Identify the key words.
- Apply this procedure to another text you have to read in another course, adapting your approach.
- Apply this same approach to all the reading you need to do for your courses. To avoid discouragement:
- Do this exercise twice immediately (for two different texts or subjects)
- Do this exercise again tomorrow, two more times, trying to do it better and a little faster.
- Repeat this exercise once a day for the next three weeks, trying to get it right and speeding up your pace when possible. Apply this strategy to all your academic reading.
Example [1]
In bold, the keywords of the paragraph
Example:
«We may owe much more to the First Nations than we realize. New foods, from maple syrup to squash, beans, corn and even tomatoes, and medicinal plants are underestimated contributions. It is almost impossible to believe that the very idea of the equality that lies at the heart of our charters of rights and freedoms could have been influenced by Indigenous peoples. They have contributed to our sporting traditions as well. Authors have pointed out that colonists followed the example of the Aboriginal peoples [TRANSLATION] “and hence learned to develop a team spirit that was not valued in European games” (Côté, Tardivel and Vaugeois 1992, 130)»
Sources :
1Excerpt from: Lepage, P. (2019). Aboriginal Peoples: Fact and Fiction. Institut Tshakapesh et Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, p.9.
Identify the main idea(s)
The main idea of a paragraph is the sentence that summarises the author's words and allows him to explain the subject. Selecting consists, by different means, of searching for and identifying relevant information that meets certain predetermined criteria (Bégin, 2008). Selecting reduces the amount of information to be memorised by highlighting important information either by annotating or by underlining certain extracts from a text. It is important to remember that "a fully underlined text is equivalent to a non-underlined text" (Barbeau et al., 1997, p. 39). To avoid this mistake, you should not start highlighting on the first reading because you don't know the overall text content. A second reading is often necessary before highlighting information in a text (Sanchez and Maldonado, 2001).
Using typographic features
Selecting information means prioritising some information and therefore discarding others. Bold, italic, underlined or framed words or phrases in a text serve to draw the reader's attention and give you clues as to the importance the author attaches to these elements (Ruph, 2010). When texts contain typefaces, refer to them to see the idea the author is trying to convey.
Where is the main idea?
The main idea is usually at the beginning of the paragraph. The remaining sentences will be used to provide details to better explain, and examples to illustrate a point (Elder, 2008). However, the main idea can also be found at the end of a paragraph because some details may be needed to capture the main idea. The latter can be located in the middle of the paragraph if the author decides to start the paragraph with a question to introduce the topic and then answer it with a general statement as the main idea.
Usually, the main idea is explicit in the text, i.e. it is clearly expressed in a sentence. However, sometimes the main idea is implicit, i.e. it is not clearly stated in a sentence, which means that the reader will have to infer or deduce it from elements in the text and then formulate it in his own words (Giasson, 2005).
Advantages
Identifying the main idea improves your understanding of the text and retention of important information, thus ensuring lasting learning; it prevents you from returning to the same information several times and improves your concentration when reading.
To get started
If you want to develop this skill, you will need to improve your ability to distinguish the essential from the incidental by practising as often as possible. Here are some suggestions:
- Different colours can be used to underline the main idea, secondary ideas and supporting ideas.
- If you find that you have underlined too many words on a page, you can re-underline between eight and ten words using a different colour, which will serve as a visual marker.
- You can avoid underlining definitions and examples by simply annotating the abbreviations (def. and ex.) in the margin, as it should be kept in mind that less than 10% of the text should be underlined.
Questions to ask yourself :
- What does the text or paragraph talk about?
- What is the author's point about the topic in the paragraph?
- What does the author want to say in this paragraph?
The characteristics of the sentence containing the explicit main idea:
- The sentence stating the main idea should always contain the subject (the word, name or phrase that mentions the subject of the paragraph).
- The sentence stating the main idea should express a complete idea (if you can read the sentence without having to read the rest of the paragraph, you should be able to understand what the author wants to express).
- The main idea is a general statement summarising the details in the paragraph. The other sentences provide specific information to explain, illustrate, demonstrate or say more about the main idea.
Example
In bold, the sentence containing the explicit main idea:
Second, the challenge of finding housing both in the North and in the South was raised by participants. In the North, although there are a limited number of housing units available for students and their families, this number is not sufficient. Many students do not have access to these units and must find other accommodations. As one participant noted, “when you have a child, it’s difficult to share a room with another student” (12972-12074). Students who are not married and/or do not have children do not have access to priority housing. Moreover, they do not have access to subsidies, so even if they can find a vacant unit, they have to pay market rent, which is often well above $2,000 per month. The only way for students to pay such high rent is to find work, which can be detrimental to their academic success […] (p.111).
Sometimes the main idea of a paragraph may not be clearly stated in one sentence, although the author usually provides enough information in a paragraph for the reader to deduce the main idea. This is called an implicit main idea.
The implicit main idea
When you read a paragraph and you can't find the main idea, you need to think about how you would formulate it from the information in the paragraph. So you have to write down what the author is trying to say as a point of view, either by combining ideas or words directly from the paragraph from which you are formulating the main idea, or you have to use your own words, formulating it in one sentence. The question to ask is: what is the most important point the author wants me to deduce?
The same criteria as for the explicit main idea apply to the implicit main idea.
Here are three ways of formulating the implicit main idea:
- Adding missing essential information to a sentence in a paragraph that states the main idea almost completely (e.g. sometimes it is the subject that is not identified in a sentence);
- Combine two sentences from the paragraph that express the main idea into one sentence. These sentences can be anywhere in the paragraph;
- Summarise the important elements in a general sentence statement that combines the important ideas from several sentences. Keep in mind that you should not include details. Important information should be only parts of the main idea.
Example :
Paragraphe :
In order to reconcile the identity and cultural dimensions of the interest of the Indigenous child, it is not enough to adapt our laws to the culture. On the contrary, it is up to the worker to adapt and integrate the culture. Thus, it is not simply a matter of acquiring cultural awareness, sensitivity or even cultural competencies to intervene appropriately in an Indigenous context. Certainly, these skills are important, but we must go beyond them and ensure cultural safety.
(from Guay, 2019, in Rachédi and Taïbi, p.1242. Free translation)
Main idea:
For the interest of the Indigenous child, which includes identity and cultural dimensions, the worker must adapt to the culture to intervene adequately and must ensure cultural safety.
Sources :
Rodon T., F. Lévesque & S. Kennedy-Dalseg (2015). Qallunaaliaqtut: Inuit Students' Experiences of Postsecondary Education in the South. McGill Journal of Education, 50(1): 97-118.
Take reading notes
Management of reading notes
When you need to develop an in-depth understanding of concepts related to a book, article or text, it is important to organise the information into themes for quick access by using a note-taking system. Binder sheets can be used for note-taking of a text where the sheets are inserted according to categories or themes (authors, fields, etc.). This can also take the form of a computer file, depending on your preferences. Indeed, the computer is a powerful tool for note-taking and management, as well as allowing you to access them quickly and save time on rewriting. You can modify and add to these notes at any time. The purpose is to take notes in order to keep track of them and to reuse them later in your work or in other types of professional writing.
Extracting information from a text
This strategy consists of extracting information that will be useful for writing an assignment, summarising, preparing an oral presentation, or revising for an exam (Ruph, 2010). These notes also help in understanding the text and memorising the content for better learning. Reading notes are reduced to the essential information of a text and should be sufficiently complete to avoid going back to the original text (except for occasional validation).
Reading cards
The development of reading cards is a tried and tested method for collecting and classifying information that is still useful today. Reading notes achieve two objectives:
- Maximise reading time by accumulating notes and reading excerpts that include relevant information and reflections from authors that can be fed back into your academic work
- Keep records of your reading so that you can re-use these notes from one course to the next, from one year to the next, etc.
To enable you to get the most out of the texts to be studied, it is useful to concentrate on one part at a time, drawing out the essentials of each section relevant to your work in the form of brief summaries
Advantages
They help to avoid misinterpretation.
They force the reader to think more deeply in order to understand and write down the elements in his own words.
They facilitate the work of assimilating and retrieving information in the long-term memory.
To get started
When taking reading notes, it is important to know what you need to use in a text, depending on the work you have to do: quotes, summaries, tables, personal or critical comments, etc.
In addition, your reading cards should contain these basic elements:
- the complete source of the document (author's name, first name, year of publication, title, publisher and place of publication, number of pages (or pages consulted) - see the bibliography presentation standards according to your field of study;
- summaries of sections relevant to your work (e.g. statistics);
- use quotation marks when you want to save a quotation as is (otherwise it is a paraphrase). Always include the page number from which the quote or paraphrase is taken;
- concepts, definitions, theory statements, copies of a model, diagrams, tables, etc.
- personal notes: criticism, comments, reflections, etc.
Depending on the amount of information you wish to include in your card, you can also add:
- text plan (titles and subtitles)
- summary of several readings related to the same subject
Example of a reading card :
Pidgeon, Michelle. (2016). More Than a Checklist: Meaningful Indigenous Inclusion in Higher Education, Social Inclusion, 4 (1): 77-91. The author is a member of the Mi'kmaq Nation.
Keywords: Indigenous higher education, Indigenization, post-secondary education, Autochtonisation, éducation postsecondaire, Autochtones.
p. 78 Purpose of the article: to explore what 'indigenisation' means through institutional initiatives (policies, programs, practices) to support the success of Indigenous peoples.
p. 77, The author defines indigenisation as a movement that reclaims indigenous knowledge and ways of being within the academy, essentially transforming institutional initiatives, such as policy programs, curriculum and practices to support indigenous achievement and self-determination.
p. 80 Wholistic Framework:
Pidgeon deliberately uses the 'w' in front of holistic to show how it is a whole. Institutions must use a holistic work plan to understand all the interrelationships between the spiritual, the physical, the emotional and the intellectual, but also the community, the provincial, the federal and the Nation and all this must be done in reciprocity, relevance, respect and responsibility.
«The 4Rs represent Indigenous perspectives on how Respect for Indigenous knowledge, Responsible relationships, Reciprocity, and Relevant programs and services can transform institutional cultures and practices for Indigenous peoples» (p.81). (She drew on the 4 Rs of Kirkness and Barnhardt 1991)
Indigenous Wholistic Framework (p.81)
[…]
Sources :
1Reading card written by Mylène Jubinville, Research Officer, Indigenous Projects, UQAT
Annotation
Annotation is writing notes in the margins of a text to help you remember it better (Elder, 2008). As a reader, you can use symbols, words, pictures and short explanations that will help you grasp the content of the text you are reading. Annotation is intended to facilitate active learning and involves the following processes: paraphrasing, using text structure and assessing comprehension (Nist and Holschuh, 2000).
Annotation, unlike underlining or highlighting textual information (e.g. by colour marks), allows the reader to generate ideas in his own words. It allows the reader to keep track of what he is reading. The usefulness of this method depends on the extent of processing you do. If you are just copying verbatim, there is little benefit. For in-depth processing and understanding, you need to annotate in your own words.
Advantages
Annotation allows you to read actively, to control your understanding and to make connections between ideas.
It allows you to actively construct ideas and make connections with your prior knowledge. In this sense, annotation is a flexible process that facilitates in-depth information processing for better understanding and retention of information.
To get started
Following are examples of questions to ask yourself about what is relevant to annotate in the margins (Rozzelle and Scearce, 2013):
Questions to ask yourself :
- What is the section about? How can I summarise the idea in one sentence?
- What are my questions? (note them in the margin)
- What can I read between the lines? What does the author mean?
- Do I have any new ideas? What are they?
- What do I understand less well?
- How does this relate to what I know about the subject?
Here is what you can do to annotate the margins of the texts you read:
- Write the topic/theme of the paragraph in the margin (in one word);
- Formulate the main idea;
- Write a short definition of unknown words in the margins;
- Write short summaries in your own words;
- List ideas (e.g., causes and effects, characteristics);
- Note examples related to the concepts (using EX: to identify them);
- Note the connections you make, inferences, reflections;
- Note possible exam questions;
- Note confusing things (e.g. using a question mark (?));
- Note what surprises you (e.g. using an exclamation mark (!))
- Selectively underline key words and important sentences, while indicating in the margin what is being discussed.
- Use the asterisk (*) to identify important elements (conclusion, important ideas, etc.)
It is important to customise your own coding system and choose what suits you best. With practice, you will annotate your texts with increasing relevance to your learning.
Example of an annotated text:
Source consulted :
Source: McDonald, K and Hite, L. (n.d.) Career Development Barriers and Diverse Populations.