I've blogged a bit before on writing for different audiences. I think it is an important skill that is too often overlooked. My varied summer projects got me thinking about different ways of reading.
1. Proofreading: I've done a fair amount of proofreading work this summer. When proofreading, I don't read for content: I might read an entire article, catch a bunch of mistakes, and have no idea what it's about. I look at words as shapes on the page, and I look for abnormalities in those shapes. I have a fair amount of experience in proofreading material in different languages (I was a bit of a "specialist" in transliterated Russian and Japanese when I worked at RILM). While my Russian then was better than it is now, my Japanese has always been nonexistent. I think in a roundabout way, it helped that I didn't know the language. I wasn't interested in content at all (I couldn't be); I just wanted to make sure the shapes on the page were always identical. Proofreading also involves looking closely at every bit of text on the page, things that many people probably overlook when they skim or read.
2. Skimming: When doing research, sometimes I need to read things quickly--webpages, articles, or even entire books--to determine if they're useful. In this case, I'm reading for general content. I might read the introduction (if there is one), the first and last paragraph of every chapter, and the first and last sentence of every paragraph. I will definitely look at any charts, diagrams, and examples. The goal here is to get a good sense of the content in the shortest amount of time.
3. Reading for content: If I decide that a source is worth using, then I'll read it in detail. This is usually where the red pen comes out (instead of a highlighter, I read with a red pen. I underline or bracket important bits--I have my own little system of relative importance worked out--and like having the pen to write notes in the margin). In general I will read every word (unless I've determined that a chapter or section is simply not relevant to the project) and make notes to myself.
4. Reading editorially: This is what I do when I'm grading or when a publication asks me to review a submission. This includes all of the steps above as well as consulting additional sources along the way. The goal here is to help out the writer: did he/she miss an important source? Is the essay structured logically? Is the topic timely and interesting? Is it easy to read? I read a very densely mathematical article this summer that was very difficult to get through because the author used numerals exclusively, even in the running text. By changing some of the numerals to text, the article became much easier to read and didn't lose any of the mathematical rigor.
I'd be curious to hear from others--does this mirror your strategies/experiences?
1. Proofreading: I've done a fair amount of proofreading work this summer. When proofreading, I don't read for content: I might read an entire article, catch a bunch of mistakes, and have no idea what it's about. I look at words as shapes on the page, and I look for abnormalities in those shapes. I have a fair amount of experience in proofreading material in different languages (I was a bit of a "specialist" in transliterated Russian and Japanese when I worked at RILM). While my Russian then was better than it is now, my Japanese has always been nonexistent. I think in a roundabout way, it helped that I didn't know the language. I wasn't interested in content at all (I couldn't be); I just wanted to make sure the shapes on the page were always identical. Proofreading also involves looking closely at every bit of text on the page, things that many people probably overlook when they skim or read.
2. Skimming: When doing research, sometimes I need to read things quickly--webpages, articles, or even entire books--to determine if they're useful. In this case, I'm reading for general content. I might read the introduction (if there is one), the first and last paragraph of every chapter, and the first and last sentence of every paragraph. I will definitely look at any charts, diagrams, and examples. The goal here is to get a good sense of the content in the shortest amount of time.
3. Reading for content: If I decide that a source is worth using, then I'll read it in detail. This is usually where the red pen comes out (instead of a highlighter, I read with a red pen. I underline or bracket important bits--I have my own little system of relative importance worked out--and like having the pen to write notes in the margin). In general I will read every word (unless I've determined that a chapter or section is simply not relevant to the project) and make notes to myself.
4. Reading editorially: This is what I do when I'm grading or when a publication asks me to review a submission. This includes all of the steps above as well as consulting additional sources along the way. The goal here is to help out the writer: did he/she miss an important source? Is the essay structured logically? Is the topic timely and interesting? Is it easy to read? I read a very densely mathematical article this summer that was very difficult to get through because the author used numerals exclusively, even in the running text. By changing some of the numerals to text, the article became much easier to read and didn't lose any of the mathematical rigor.
I'd be curious to hear from others--does this mirror your strategies/experiences?