Skimming to Get the Gist

Practice reading quickly for the general idea of a text before reading it closely.

Skimming is purposeful fast reading. You are not trying to absorb every detail; you are building a map of the text. Read the title and headings, the first and last paragraphs, the first sentence of each body paragraph, and anything bold or captioned. Then ask: what is this mostly about, and how is it organized? Suppose a science article is titled 'Why Cities Are Hotter' and its headings are 'Dark Surfaces,' 'Missing Trees,' and 'Cooling Solutions.

' In thirty seconds you know the topic (urban heat), the structure (causes, then solutions), and where to look later. Skimming is useful before a close read, when deciding whether a source fits your research, or when reviewing. It is the wrong choice when you must follow a complex argument or directions step by step, because skipped words can hold key meaning.

• 1Skim headings, first and last paragraphs, and topic sentences
• 2Aim for the gist and the structure, not details
• 3Skim before close reading or to judge if a source is useful