This document discusses various types of academic texts and strategies for reading them effectively. It begins by outlining common academic text types like articles, conference papers, reviews, and theses/dissertations. It then emphasizes that academic reading requires full concentration and comprehension to understand key ideas. Several reading goals and purposes are provided, along with details about the typical structure, content, style, and language of academic texts. Strategies like determining the text type and purpose, annotating, and using SQ3R or KWL methods are presented to aid critical understanding. The document concludes with a set of true/false questions to assess comprehension.

1. FundamentalsFundamentals
of Readingof Reading
AcademicAcademic
WritingWriting

3. Articles
Published in scholarly journals, this type of
academic text offers results of research and
development that can either impact the
academic community or provide relevance to
nation-building.

4. Conference Paper
These are papers presented in scholastic
conferences, and may be revised as articles for
possible publication in scholarly journals.

5. Reviews
These provide evaluation or reviews of works
published in scholarly journals.

6. Theses, Dissertations
These are personal researches written by a
candidate for a college or university degree

7. It can be said that in academic reading, full
concentration and comprehension are
required for understanding key ideas,
information, themes or arguments of the
text.

8. Reading Goals
• Why am I reading this text?
• What information or pieces of
information do I need?
• What do I want to learn?

9. General Purposes for Reading an
Academic Text
• To better understand an existing idea
• To get ideas that can support a particular
writing assignment
• To gain more information
• To identify gaps in existing studies
• To connect new ideas to existing ones

10. Structure of Academic Texts
• Typically formal
• Structured introduction, body and conclusion
• Information from credible sources (properly
cited)
• List of references

11. Content and Style of Academic
Texts
• They state critical questions and issues
• They provide facts and evidence from credible
sources
• They use precise and accurate words while
avoiding jargons and colloquial expressions

12. Content and Style of Academic
Texts
• They take an objective POV and avoid being
personal and subjective
• They list references
• They use hedging or cautious language to tone
down their claims.

13. Examples of Hedging Expressions
TYPES EXAMPLES AS USED IN THE SENTENCE
Modal auxiliary verbs may, might, can, could
would, should
The measure might have negative
effects on the patients health.
Modal lexical verbs
doubting and
evaluating rather than
merely describing
to seem, to appear
(epistemic verbs), to
believe, to assume, to
suggest, to estimate,
to tend, to think, to
argue, to indicate, to
propose, to speculate
The discussion appears to have a
positive implications.
Probability adjectives possible, probable,
un/likely
A number of significant changes are
possible.

14. Examples of Hedging Expressions
TYPES EXAMPLES AS USED IN THE SENTENCE
Nouns assumption, claim,
possibility estimate,
suggestion
There are a number of claims
pertaining to the possibility of
divorce.
Adverbs perhaps, possibly,
probably, practically,
likely, presumably,
virtually, apparently
The proposal is practically an answer
to the confusion.
Indicators of degree,
quantity, frequency
and time
approximately,
roughly, about, often,
occasionally,
generally, usually,
somewhat, somehow,
a lot of
Fever is present in about a third of
cases

15. Examples of Hedging Expressions
TYPES EXAMPLES AS USED IN THE SENTENCE
Introductory phrases believe, to our
knowledge, it is our
view that, we feel that
The committee believes that the
issue needs to be explored.
“If” clauses if true, if anything If anything, the opinion holds a
number of truths.
Compound hedging Double hedging: seems
reasonable, look probable;
it may suggest that; it
seems likely that; it would
indicate that; this probably
indicates
Treble hedging: it seems
reasonable to assume that
Quadruple hedging: it
would seem somewhat
unlikely that, it may appear
somewhat speculative that
This probably indicates that the
assigned personnel is misinformed.

16. Additional Critical Reading Strategies
• Before Reading
Determine which type of academic text you are
reading.
Determine and establish your purpose in reading.
Identify the author’s purpose for writing.
Predict or infer the main idea or argument of the
text based on its title.
Identify your attitude toward the author and the
text.

17. Additional Critical Reading Strategies
• Before Reading
State what you already know and what you want
to learn about the topic.
Determine the target audience.
Check the publication date for relevance. It should
have been published at most 5 years earlier than
the current year.
Check the reference list while making sure to
consider the correctness of the formatting style
Use concept map or graphic organizer to note
existing ideas and knowledge on the topic.

18. Additional Critical Reading Strategies
• During Reading
Annotate important parts of the text.
- annotating a text can help you determine
essential ideas or information, main idea or
arguments, and new information or ideas.

19. Additional Critical Reading Strategies
• After Reading
 Reflect on what you learned.
React on some parts of the text through writing.
Discuss some parts with your teacher or
classmates.
Link the main idea of the text to what you already
know.

20. Other Reading Strategies
• SQ3R Method
STAGE GUIDELINES
Survey • Skim the target text.
• Check the headings and tables, diagrams, or
figures presented in the text.
• Read the first few and last sentences of the
text to determine key information.
• Get a feel of the text.
Question • Annotate the headings with your questions
• Develop questions on the types of information
you expect from the text.

21. Other Reading Strategies
• SQ3R Method
STAGE GUIDELINES
Read • Look for answers to your questions as you read
the text.
• Stop and slow down if the passage not clear.
• Make sure to proceed reading only when you
already understand the previous texts.
Recite • Recount the main points of the text.
• Recall by writing a summary or synthesis based
on what you understand of the text.
• Highlight or underline the important points you
read.

22. Other Reading Strategies
• SQ3R Method
STAGE GUIDELINES
Review • After finishing the text, go back and re-read the
questions you wrote and see if you can answer
them; if not, refresh your memory.
• Evaluate what you learned to ensure that you
are convince and satisfied with the information
presented in the text

23. Other Reading Strategies
• KWL Method
The KWL method guides you in reading
and understanding a text. To apply the KWL
method, simply make a table with 3 columns.
In the 1st
column write what you know about
the topic (K); in the 2nd
column, list down what
you want to learn (W); and in the last column,
write down what you learned (L)

24. True or False
___ 1. Academic reading requires concentration
and comprehension.
___ 2. Academic texts are completely different
from non-academic text in terms of
structure, content and style.
___ 3. Authors of academic texts usually present
facts to support their main argument.

25. True or False
___ 4. Completing academic readings appears to
be a challenge in which students fail.
___ 5. Critical reading strategies lead readers to
a full understanding of the text.
___ 6. Essentially, the language of academic
texts is precise and accurate.
___ 7. One has to determine his/her purpose
before reading.

26. True or False
___ 8. Reading strategies differ from one person
to another.
___ 9. Successful readers of academic texts
generally integrate valuable information
or ideas from one source to another.
___ 10. Through writing annotations, readers
are guided on important ideas presented
in the text.

27. Assignment
• Find a partner: Get a copy of the article
“Tapping the Educational Potential of
Facebook: Guidelines for Use in Higher
Education” from this link:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260
527622_Tapping_the_educational_potential_
of_Facebook_Guidelines_for_use_in_higher_e
ducation

28. Then, choose one from the following purposes.
•To locate the main idea/key theme or
argument
•To scan information
•To identify the gaps in the existing studies
•To connect the new idea to the existing one
•To gain more pieces of information
•To get ideas that can support a particular
writing assignment
•To understand deeply the existing idea

29. Read the article with your purpose in mind. In
reading the text, use the strategies you prefer to
use. Write your responses or reactions on a
separate sheet of paper.