Skimming and Scanning

When doing research, you may want to use skimming and scanning to help find the most relevant and informative research for your specific writing topic.

Skimming

What is it?

When you SKIM, you read quickly to get the main idea of a paragraph, page, chapter, or article, and a few (but not all) of the details.

Why do I skim?

Skimming allows you to read quickly to get a general sense of a text so that you can decide whether it has useful information for you. You may also skim to get a key idea. After skimming a piece, you might decide that you want or need to read it in greater depth.

How do I skim?

  1. Read the first few paragraphs, two or three middle paragraphs, and the final two or three paragraphs of a piece, trying to get a basic understanding of the information.
  2. Some people prefer to skim by reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph, that is, the topic sentences and concluding sentences.
  3. If there are pictures, diagrams, or charts, a quick glance at them and their captions may help you to understand the main idea or point of view in the text.
  4. Remember, you do not have to read every word when you skim.
  5. Generally, move your eyes horizontally (and quickly) when you skim.

Scanning

What is it?

When you SCAN, you move your eyes quickly down a page or list to find one specific detail.

Why do I scan?

Scanning allows you to locate quickly a single fact, date, name, or word in a text without trying to read or understand the rest of the piece. You may need that fact or word later to respond to a question or to add a specific detail to something you are writing.

How do I scan?

  1. Knowing your text well is important. Make a prediction about where in a chapter you might find the word, name, fact, term, or date.
  2. Note how the information is arranged on a page. Will headings, diagrams, or boxed or highlighted items guide you? Is information arranged alphabetically or numerically as it might be in a telephone book or glossary?
  3. Move your eyes vertically or diagonally down the page, letting them dart quickly from side to side, keeping in mind the exact type of information that you want. Look for other closely associated words that might steer you towards the detail for which you are looking.
  4. Aim for 100% accuracy!