Scanning
Scan to quickly locate specific information: words, numbers, names, ideas, or the answers to specific study questions.
Method
- Fix clearly in your mind what you are looking for.
- Anticipate how the information will look.
- Run your finger down the middle of the page or backward and forwards across the page. Let your eyes follow this seeking the particular target.
Examples
- Looking for names, places or titles: look for the visual clue provided by capital letters.
- Looking for distances or a date: look for the visual clue provided by numbers, or words such as miles, metres, minutes or hours.
- Looking for an idea: anticipate the words that could be used to state it.
- Looking for a relationship: may be expressed after such clue words as ‘thus’, ‘consequently’, or ‘as a result’.
When you start looking for your information, use the method mentioned above until it is found. Then read as much as you need to answer your question.