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Get Ready to Read

Read strategically and purposefully.

When you’re doing research, you’ll come across lots of different kinds of texts, from textbooks and journal articles to websites and databases. Use your time effectively by reading what is relevant and necessary, and take effective notes from your reading. These resources will help you read and navigate different texts and use them in your studies.

Features of a text

Select the feature of a text to learn where to find it and how you might use it in your work.

Reading with a purpose

Watch this video to understand how you can read more effectively with a clear purpose.

Reading effectively

An introduction to effective reading strategies and becoming a more engaged reader.

Notetaking

 Take useful notes from your academic reading.

Notetaking strategies

Consider these different note-taking strategies and how you might use them to take more effective notes from your academic reading.

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The student-led project that culminated in this website won the University’s Vice Chancellor’s Education Excellence Award in 2025 and was shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award in 2023.

Illustrations by Eilidh Muldoon.