Academic Reading
Academic Reading #1: Read with a Purpose, Not a Dictionary
Read with a Purpose, Not a Dictionary
Build a map before you enter the details.
A research paper is not an English examination. You do not need to translate every sentence before you can learn something useful. Begin with a question of your own.
Swipe across the diagram to read every label.
Choose your job as a reader
Perhaps you need a new method for your experiment. Perhaps you need background for a presentation. These jobs require different reading. Write one question at the top of your notes: “How did they measure temperature?” or “What evidence supports this idea?” A clear purpose helps you decide where to spend time.
Make three visits
On your first visit, look at the title, abstract, headings, and final main message. Decide whether the paper is useful. On your second visit, connect the question to the main figures and results. On your third visit, examine the methods, assumptions, and details needed for your own work. You can move backwards and forwards. You do not have to complete all three visits in one sitting. This approach is adapted from S. Keshav’s three-pass reading method.
Keep moving, but record uncertainty
When a word stops you, ask whether it blocks the main idea. A repeated technical term usually deserves a definition. An unfamiliar adjective may wait. Mark a question mark and continue to the end of the paragraph. Then return with more context. If the problem is scientific background, a dictionary alone will not solve it; use a textbook or ask a classmate.
Use English and Japanese strategically
A short Japanese note can help you understand an unfamiliar concept. Then write one simple English sentence using the paper’s main technical term. This connects reading to speaking. Your sentence does not need to sound elegant. It needs to say what you currently understand—and what you still need to check.
Your reading task
Give yourself five minutes with the Foldscope paper. Write its topic, your reading question, and the section you will read next. Mark one detail as “not checked yet.”
Open the model answer or self-check
Possible plan: “This paper describes a paper microscope. I want to understand how it is assembled. I will read Figure 1 and its caption next. I have not checked the resolution measurements.” Different plans are valid when they match your purpose.
Read: S. Keshav — How to Read a Paper
A short guide written by a computer scientist. Compare its three passes with your own reading plan.
Open the learning resource →How to Read a Scholarly Article — NC State University Libraries
About 7 minutes; transcript available on the source page. Notice how the readers change their approach according to their purpose. Choose one habit to try.
Watch on the original source / open transcript if available →
All eight reading lessons
- Read with a Purpose, Not a Dictionary (this lesson)
- Find the Shape of a Research Paper
- Read Titles and Abstracts as a Research Story
- Follow the Argument and Its Signposts
- Unpack Long Sentences and Technical Words
- Read Figures, Units, and Uncertainty
- Judge Claims, Methods, and Limits
- Turn Reading into Notes, Questions, and a Short Talk
Built for Japanese science and engineering students. Paper spotlights are teaching paraphrases, not quotations. Practice sentences and diagrams are original teaching material. Read the linked original before citing a scientific claim. Continue with Academic Listening or Academic Presentation.
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Academic Reading #5: Unpack Long Sentences and Technical Words
Break dense sentences into meaningful groups and learn technical vocabulary in context.
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Academic Reading #6: Read Figures, Units, and Uncertainty
Read captions, denominators, units, and uncertainty before drawing a conclusion from a fig…
Academic Reading中級 / Intermediate
Academic Reading #7: Judge Claims, Methods, and Limits
Distinguish association from causation and preserve the limits of a scientific claim.