Resource Reading Effectively in Graduate School

By Graduate Student Center

Here's some advice from our friends at The Weingarten Center on how to get the most out of ALL the reading you have to do in graduate school.

Read with a Purpose: Use your syllabus or Canvas course guide to determine 'what do I need to do with this?'

The 20-Minute Read: What would you read if you only had 20-minutes? Abstract, Discussion, Headings, First sentence of paragraphs or sections.

Work in Shifts: Dedicate specific time for reading in your day. Have a start and stop time!

Prioritize Your Reading: Prioritize readings by purpose, complexity, and importance to course/research

Activate Your Reading: Preview the text for 20 minutes, Annotate while reading, Synthesize your thoughts when finished.
Pro-tip: Create a spreadsheet for a course or topic with column headings like Citation | Summary | Sample quote | Aligns with | Conflicts with | Critique

Tools to aid reading: PowerNotes, Notes, Zotero, and Mendeley are examples of software you can use to help with your reading.

For more tips & tools visit the Weingarten Center at https://weingartencenter.universitylife.upenn.edu/academic-support/study-tools-and-strategies/
Schedule a learning consultation with a learning specialist at https://weingartencenter.universitylife.upenn.edu/learning-consultations/