Let’s be honest: no one has the time — or the patience — to read every single page of every book or journal article related to their research. If you’re a PhD student or a researcher working on a thesis, you probably already know what it feels like to sit in front of a mountain of books and articles, wondering how on earth you’ll get through them all. The truth is you don’t have to.
Academic reading isn’t about proving you can finish a 500-page textbook. It’s about finding, understanding, and applying the specific information that moves your research forward. That’s where strategic reading comes in.
Why You Don’t Have to Read Everything
When you’re doing research, not every line in a book or article is relevant to your work. Many pages are filled with background material, detailed explanations, or extended discussions that don’t serve your immediate purpose. Your task isn’t to master the entire book — it’s to extract the golden nuggets that directly support your research questions, arguments, or theoretical framework.
Strategic reading is efficient, focused, and intelligent. It saves time, sharpens your comprehension, and allows you to cover more material without burning out.
Step 1: Be Clear About What You’re Looking For
This is where many readers get it wrong. They open a book or article without a clear question in mind. Without a clear purpose, everything looks relevant, and you end up wandering aimlessly.
Before you open that book, ask yourself:
1. What specific question am I trying to answer?
2. What aspect of my research does this text relate to — theory, methodology, background, data, or critique?
3. What kind of information am I looking for — definitions, key arguments, methods, findings, or debates?
This mental clarity helps your brain filter out the noise and zone in on what matters.
Step 2: Start with the Skeleton
You don’t have to begin reading from Chapter One. A book or article has a structure — and that structure can save you time.
For a book:
1. Read the table of contents carefully. It’s a roadmap to the entire text. Identify chapters that align with your research interest.
2. Glance at the preface or introduction to understand the author’s main thesis.
3. Skim the conclusion or final chapter to see how the author ties it all together.
For a journal article:
1. Focus first on the abstract — it tells you whether the article is relevant at all.
2. Then read the introduction, section headings, and conclusion.
3. Only return to the methodology or body if what you need is there.
This skeletal reading gives you a solid sense of whether the text is worth your time — and which sections deserve your attention.
Step 3: Use Guided Reading — Not Wandering Reading
Once you know which chapters or sections matter, read with a highlighter in your mind, even if you don’t use a real one. Don’t let your eyes drift line by line like a passive reader. Instead:
1. Scan for keywords and topic sentences. Academic writing is structured: authors usually signal their key points early in each paragraph.
2. Look for argument markers: phrases like “this suggests,” “therefore,” “in other words,” or “the key point is” often signal where the author is making a crucial claim.
3. Ignore illustrative fluff. You don’t need every example or anecdote — just the idea it’s illustrating.
Step 4: Extract — Don’t Accumulate
Reading strategically isn’t just about spotting relevant information — it’s about extracting it in a usable form. That means taking concise, purposeful notes.
1. Summarize ideas in your own words. This aids understanding and makes it easier to use later without over-quoting.
2. Note the source immediately. Save yourself the headache of retracing your steps when writing your literature review.
3. Group your notes by theme. Don’t record information in random order; align it with the structure of your research.
Think of it like mining: your goal is not to carry the whole mountain home — just the gold.
Step 5: Learn to Skim with Purpose
Skimming isn’t a lazy habit; it’s a smart technique when used intentionally.
Here’s how to do it right:
1. Read the first and last sentences of paragraphs. Academic writers typically signal their main idea in these spots.
2. Skip over long examples, historical background, and dense theoretical tangents unless they directly relate to your focus.
3. Scan for proper nouns, technical terms, and keywords. These often indicate where key information is located.
If you find something useful, then slow down and read that section carefully.
Step 6: Build a Reading-for-Research Mindset
To read strategically, you need to shift your mindset from “I have to read everything” to “I have to read what matters.”
This means:
1. Not feeling guilty for skipping irrelevant sections.
2. Being disciplined about sticking to your research focus.
3. Knowing when to stop reading. Once you’ve extracted what you need, move on to the next source.
A PhD thesis isn’t about demonstrating that you’ve read every book in the library — it’s about engaging critically with the most relevant literature to build a strong argument.
Step 7: Organize as You Go
Many researchers waste hours re-reading because they didn’t organize their findings the first time. Don’t make that mistake.
1. Maintain a clear system for storing notes — whether it’s digital (spreadsheets, referencing software, mind maps) or manual (notebooks, index cards).
2. Use headings or tags that match your thesis chapters or research questions.
3. Regularly review your notes to keep the big picture in view.
This way, when it’s time to write, you’re not hunting for scattered ideas — you’re working with structured, relevant material.
Step 8: Practice Strategic Reading Daily
Like any skill, reading strategically gets sharper with practice. You can build the habit by:
1. Timing your reading sessions and setting clear goals.
2. Practising with articles or chapters to see how fast you can locate what matters.
3. Reviewing your notes after each reading session to confirm you actually got what you needed.
With time, this method becomes second nature, and you’ll move through complex material with confidence.
If you’re doing a PhD or research project, you’ll never run out of things to read. But you can learn to read smarter. You can learn to extract what matters, skip what doesn’t, and build a clear, well-informed argument without drowning in a sea of words.
Strategic reading frees you from the guilt of unfinished books and gives you clarity, control, and confidence in your research process. So, the next time you pick up that 500-page book, remember — you’re not here to conquer it. You’re here to harvest its value and move on.
Speak well. Write well. Read smart. Achieve your goals.
•Ruth Karachi Benson Oji is an Associate Professor of Pragmatics and (Digital Media) Discourse Analysis at Pan-Atlantic University and Lead Consultant at Karuch Consulting Limited.
The post How to read strategically and extract what you need, by Ruth Oji appeared first on Vanguard News.
