Reading academic texts

In university studies, academic reading means both mechanical reading skills as well as the ability to process, understand and evaluate what you read.

In university studies, academic reading means both mechanical reading skills as well as the ability to process, understand and evaluate what you read. When coming to university, the number of texts to be read increases, and the study material may be in a foreign language. It is possible that the familiar reading strategies no longer work, so the skills need to be updated. As your studies progress, your field-specific knowledge increases, which makes reading easier. The following tips apply to reading in both your native language and foreign language.

What are academic texts?

It is useful to utilize the characteristics of a scientific text in academic reading. For instance, a research report has a predictable structure, and being familiar with it helps in identifying the main points. Additionally, noticing different clue words helpsin understanding the relationships between different concepts.

Reading and writing academic texts go hand in hand: knowing the writing conventions helps reading in such a way that you can even partially guess what kind of content is in which section of the text. You will also recognise, for example, which parts are the author's own thinking and which are from someone else.

Basic academic reading skills include predicting, using reading strategies, finding main points, and evaluating information. These skills make it easier to read literature also in a foreign language.

It is important to consider the purpose of your reading and how thoroughly you need to understand the material. A good reader always chooses the most suitable reading technique for the intended purpose.

Finding information

With information acquisition skills, you're able to discern reliable and relevant information. The influx of information coming through various channels must be managed, processed, and selected according to the intended purpose. Various online libraries, archives and databases facilitate fast, selective and comprehensive information acquisition.

Via , you can access Jyväskylä University Library's printed and electronic materials.

Multilingualism in academic texts

Primary language and foreign language texts are essentially read in the same way, but reading in a foreign language can feel more demanding and slower. If you write an exam answer or an essay in a different language than the text you have read, you must be proficient in the terminology in both languages. Especially when reading literature in a foreign language, it is wise to read strategically: aim to understand the main points, use reading techniques, and take note of .

Background knowledge on the topic helps in reading. If the text is difficult to understand, seek information about the topic from other sources or in other languages.
Make use of the textbook's glossary or of reliable dictionaries like MOT. However, you should not check every foreign word; instead, deduce meanings from the context.
Improve your language skills in Movi's courses, either as part of the degree programme or through elective modules.

Opiskelijat lukevat pöydän ääressä ulkona

By learning about reading strategies first, I managed to get through five exam books!

Strategic reading

During your university studies, you will read a lot. The reading will include, for example, course material, exam books and scientific articles of your field. Scientific texts are typically many pages long, but the time for reading is limited. Reading texts can also feel difficult if they contain many unfamiliar terms or if, despite your best efforts, you fail to locate the main points of the text or to form an overview of its content. Still, effective reading is essential to your study progress. Thankfully, you can develop your reading technique.

Understanding academic texts is easier when you can...

Are you searching for an answer to a specific question? Or are you reading to get an overview?
Do you know what the structure is like in different genres, for example in a research report?
Can you read graphic and visual information (tables, figures and formulas which support understanding of a research report)?
Do you take advantage of the text's connecting words, which often indicate cause and effect, contrast and so on (e.g. thus, on the other hand, in addition, instead)?

Different types of reading strategies

You can make reading academic texts easier if you skim the text for a few minutes before actually beginning to read. Skimming a text before reading helps in clarifying its usefulness to you and tells you what the text is about. You can then use this information to decide what to read and in which order, which parts you will focus on and those you might not read at all.

Here is .

To find the main ideas of a text, you should utilise the structure of the text and look for information about the following things, for example: why the text was written, what the writer’s aim was and what the most important arguments are. For examples of the structure of academic texts and related exercises, go to

If your approach to the text you are reading is critical or evaluative, you probably compare the writer’s views with your own views or those of someone else. Distinguishing facts from the writer’s opinions is also important. Here are some questions to help you read critically:

Reading e-materials

You may need to develop methods for reading e-books.
Consider, for example, taking notes: can you highlight or make other notes in the text? How long can you access your notes and where to collect them?
E-books can be multimedial: more images, audio files, videos.
What programmes or tools are needed?
The learner may interact with the material in ways other than taking notes: for example, via online discussions, links, dictionaries.

Note-taking techniques

Your understanding of the study material deepens when you engage with the text, for example, by making notes. Writing by hand can be more effective for learning than taking notes on a computer, but consider which method suits you.

When taking notes:

Focus on the topic of the lecture and eliminate distractions.
Do not copy directly, but rather, summarise and organise the information logically.
Connect what you hear or read to previous knowledge.
Write loosely, as it may be good to revise or supplement your notes later.
Note the date of the lecture and the lecturer or the book title and page so that you can cite sources if needed.
Try using a mind map.

Learning vocabulary

Expanding your vocabulary can make reading academic texts easier.

You can study vocabulary in many different ways. When you learn a new word, it’s not enough to learn the translation. Take note of the word’s spelling and pronunciation, common synonyms, collocations and register. In this way you can be sure of the word’s meaning and that you are using it correctly.

As you read academic texts in a foreign language, you will often come across unfamiliar words. When this happens, use vocabulary strategies: try to form an overview of the text; do not get stuck on the meaning of individual words.
Decide if the unfamiliar word is essential for understanding the writer’s main idea.
If it’s not essential, continue reading.
If it is essential, try to understand the word’s meaning from context (i.e. the whole sentence, paragraph, surrounding text).
If the context doesn’t help, use a dictionary.

Guessing meaning with the help of context

Guessing can help you find the general meaning of a word, which is often enough for understanding a text. Developing this skill takes practice, but it will ultimately make you a better reader. Guessing the meaning requires you to analyse the clues you find in the context of the sentence. Generally speaking, there are nine kinds of clues:

The situation being described is already known.
The writer’s explanations, examples or descriptions
Cause and effect relationships (e.g. because, so, thus)
Comparison and contrast (but, however, although)
Words with similar meanings
Pointing words (another, this, that kind of)
Descriptive words: is the meaning positive or negative?
The definition given by the writer
Parts of words, such as prefixes and suffixes

Links to dictionaries

(only works in the university's network)

More information

The website contains advice on expanding your vocabulary and exercises related to academic terminology.

Further reading on the Academic study skills website

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