Before reading a book for detail, it is important to look at the information that
can be gathered from a study of the book's cover, preface, index and table of contents

Look at the cover. Who is the author? What are the author's qualifications?
When and where was the book published? Is it a recent publication? Was it
published in another country and so perhaps the ideas are not relevant? A book
on child abuse in Britain published in England may not be relevant for an essay
on child abuse in Australia. Look at the preface if there is one. The preface will
outline the author's purpose. Are the ideas, as outlined in the preface, relevant
to your requirements? Look at the table of contents. What are the chapter
headings? Does the book contain chapters which will be of use to you? Look at
the index. Are there words which look interesting and relevant?

Anderson, Durston and Poole (1969, p. 28) say that "Pre-reading is a technique
that can assist you to grasp the essential points of a written passage, an article
or a book, after a quick appraisal. It provides you with a systematic approach
for gaining the most from your reading in the shortest amount of time."
Pre-reading will help you to become acquainted with the book's main ideas and
general layout. This information will assist you in deciding whether you should
begin reading in more detail.

Once you have decided that a piece of material is appropriate, the next step is to
skim the parts you think are the most appropriate. Skimming is defined by Spache
and Berg (1984, P. 39) as "the technique of allowing your eyes to travel over a page
very quickly, stopping only here and there to gain an idea". Spache and Berg go on
to say that when skimming you should "Read a few words in each paragraph: read
the first sentence; scan the paragraph for clue words that may tell you who, what,
when, where, how rnany, or how much; and then, perhaps, the last sentence". In
particular you should be looking for the author's main arguments and any evidence
used to support these arguments.

Scanning is the technique of "looking very quickly over a piece of reading matter to
find the answer to a specific question". (Spache and Berg 1984, p. 58). Strano, Mohan
and McGregor (1989, p. 129) say that scanning "is slightly more positive and specific
than skimming. Scanning involves searching for particular pieces of information, facts
and examples". When you are scanning you let your eye run down a page looking for
a specific idea or piece of information.

Once you have selected a text or piece of material as relevant for your requirements
you then need to settle down to reading, thoroughly and in detail, those chapters or
sections which are most relevant to you. Underline the main points as you read so that
you can quickly refer back to them. Perhaps indicate supporting evidence -in another
way - red underline for main argument, blue underline for supporting arguments.
Don't get carried away with your markings. They should serve as reminders when you
come back to the material and allow you to make quick comparisons with other pieces
of material.

You could also take notes of the most important points but keep them brief. Don't
rewrite the book. Again your notes should serve as reminders for when you are
developing your ideas and arguments.