The Research Process: How to Read Your Sources

By Emily Winters

Now that you have found your sources, you may be wondering “what’s next?” or “how can I possibly read through five, ten, or fifteen articles in a manageable amount of time?” As I entered graduate school, I was told by many older students that I had to learn how to “read like a graduate student.” An enigmatic phrase, the meaning of the statement did not fully sink in until quite recently, in the last year of my studies.

“Reading like a graduate student” is another way of saying read effectively. Avoid getting bogged down in too many of the details and make sure you come away from your reading understanding the author’s main argument and why it is important to your studies and your field.

How can this help you ascertain if your sources are right for you?

If you effectively read your sources - that is, if you have an idea of what you are reading for and to what purpose - you will be able to better narrow down what’s important and what’s not, ultimately saving you time and stress!

Here are some tips that can help you accomplish this:

1. Use a note-taking template to organize your thoughts. This will keep you on track as you read as well as help you when you begin to outline your paper (see image below).

2. Write down some important quotations with their page numbers as you read, but do not be slowed down by specifics. When I take notes as I read, I make sure to have three or four important quotations because I know my professor will be looking for direct quotations when they read my paper. However, I also make sure that most of my quotes contain the author’s main argument, rather than a specific example that is not really of much use to me or you. (Tip! Search for phrases like “I argue” or “in this paper.”)

3. Read the introduction and conclusion very closely. Also, read the first sentence and last sentence of every paragraph. If the author has organized their article effectively, you should be able to understand the main argument in these “book end” positions - much of what is sandwiched in the middle are specific examples.

4. While the author’s specific examples can help you understand the central concept, they can also be overwhelming. Try to limit yourself to reading one example for each main point.

5. Ask yourself questions as you read. Is the author’s argument compelling? Do you disagree with the author’s argument? What is this article’s intervention in the field, and how does your own argument / research question/ hypothesis/ thesis fit in the literature? This is important because it is the beginning of situating your argument and paper in conversation with other scholars.

Here is an example note taking chart:

I recommend filling one of these out for each of your readings! They will be helpful when you begin to outline and plan your own paper and organize your thoughts.

I hope that these tips on effectively reading and note-taking will help you on the next stage of your research project journey. Stay tuned for more information on writing, studying, or general tips for balancing work, life, and school!

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