Route
Academic Reading
Strategies for skimming, scanning and close reading; identifying argument, structure and evidence to read efficiently and critically.
Recommended topics
Best places to begin in Academic Reading
Use these topics as your first steps before exploring the full list in the left-hand navigation.
Identifying main ideas
Locate thesis, topic sentences and how ideas are linked.
Start lessonEvaluating sources
Judge relevance, credibility and bias across academic texts.
Start lessonUnderstanding argument
Identify claims, reasons and evidence in academic texts; evaluate how well the evidence supports the argument.
Start lessonReading purpose & strategies
Match strategy to goal (skimming, scanning, detailed reading).
Start lessonInterpreting visuals & data
Read structure, charts and figures; describe, compare and comment on data.
Start lessonVocabulary & inference
Infer meaning from context; read stance and implication.
Start lesson