EAPP Handout 1 o Annotating a text help you determine essential
ideas or information, main ideas or arguments,
Reading Academic Texts
and new information or ideas.
(Fundamentals of Reading Academic Text)
Ways to Annotate a Text
Academic Text – a reading material that provides
Write key words or phrases on the margins in bullet
information which include concepts and theories that
form.
are related to the specific discipline.
Write something on the page margin where
General Purposes for Reading an Academic Text important information is found.
Write brief notes on the margin.
To better understand an existing idea
Write questions on information that you find
To get ideas that can support a particular writing
confusing.
assignment
Write what you already know about the ideas
To gain more information
Write the limitations of the author’s arguments.
To identify gaps in existing studies
Write notes on the reliability of the text.
To connect new ideas to existing ones
Comment on the author’s biases.
Structure of Academic Text Use a concept map or any graphic organizer to note
down the ideas being explained.
Academic texts are typically formal
React on the arguments presented in the text.
They have clearly structured introduction, body, and
Underline important words, phrases, or sentences.
conclusion.
Underline or circle meanings or definitions.
They include information from credible sources
Mark or highlight relevant/essential parts of the
which are properly cited.
text.
They include a list of references used in developing
Use the headings and transition words to identify
the academic paper.
relationships in the text.
Content and Style of Academic Texts Create a bank of unfamiliar or technical words to be
defined later.
(In general, authors observe the following when
Use context clues to define unfamiliar or technical
writing academic text.)
words
They state critical questions and issues.
Synthesize author’s arguments at the end of the
They provide facts and evidence from credible
chapter or section.
sources.
Determine the main idea of the text.
They use precise and accurate words while avoiding
Identify the evidence or supporting arguments
jargon and colloquial expressions.
presented by the author and check their validity and
They take an objective point-of-view and avoid
relevance.
being personal and subjective.
Identify the findings and note the appropriateness
They list references.
of the research method used.
They use hedging or cautious language to tone
down their claims. After Reading
Reflect on what you learned.
Critical Reading Strategies
React on some parts of the text through writing
Before Reading Discuss some parts with your teacher or classmates.
Determine which type of academic text you are Link the main idea of the text to what you already
reading. know.
Determine and establish your purpose for reading.
Other Reading Strategies
Identify the author’s purpose for writing.
Predict of infer the main idea or arguments of the SQ3R Method of Reading – stands for Survey (or
text based on its title. Skim), Question, Read, Recite (or Recall), Review.
Identify your attitude towards the author and the 1. Survey
text. o Skim the target text.
State what you already know and what you want to o Check the heading and tables, diagrams, or
learn about the topic. figures presented in the text.
Determine the target audience. o Read the first few and last sentences of the text
Check the publication date for relevance. to determine key information.
Check the references list while making sure to o Get a feel of the text.
consider the correctness of the formatting style. 2. Question
Use concept map or a graphic organizer to note o Annotate the headings with your questions.
your existing ideas and knowledge on the topic. o Develop questions on the types of information
you expect from the text.
During Reading 3. Read
Annotate important parts of the texts.
o Look for answer to your questions while
reading.
o Stop and slow down if the passage is not clear.
o Make sure to proceed reading only when you
already understand the previous texts.
4. Recite
o Recount the main points of the text.
o Recall by writing a summary or synthesis based
on what you understand of the text.
o Highlight or underline the important points you
read.
5. Review
o Re-read the question you wrote and see if you
can answer them.
o Evaluate what you learned to ensure that you
are convinced and satisfied with the
information presented in the text.
KWL Method – To apply KWL method, simply make
a table with three columns. In the first column,
write what you know about the topic (K); in the
second columns, list down what you want to learn
(W); and in the last column, write down what you
learned (L).
Structure of a Specific Academic Texts
o Depends on a primary purpose of a text which in
turn determines how it is written.
o What information the author introduces in the
text
o How this information is organized
Nine main Structures
1. Definition – explain the nature of something
2. Description – gives concrete details about the
appearance, characteristics and actions
3. Recount of Sequence – chronological narration
4. Cause and Effect – presents the reason why a
situation is obtained
5. Comparison and Contrast – presents similarities
and differences
6. Enumeration – listing parts and characteristics of
examples
7. Problem Solution – starts off with a negative
situation and ends with positive situation
8. Classification – presents groupings, types, classes,
categories
9. Thesis evidence – argues, points, interpretation
