The reading list is longer than anyone could finish word-for-word - and you are not supposed to. Academic reading is a targeted skill: knowing what to read closely, what to skim, and how to turn it into notes you will re-open.
Passive reading - eyes moving over every line - feels like work but retains little. Active reading starts by deciding what you want from the text before you open it: What is this author arguing? How does it relate to the lecture? Reading to answer a question is faster and sticks far better.
Pass 1 (2 min): title, abstract, headings, first and last paragraph. Decide if it is worth more. Pass 2 (skim): read topic sentences and figures; grasp the structure and argument. Pass 3 (deep): read closely only the sections that matter for your question. Most texts never need pass 3 in full.
Pick a system that matches the material rather than switching constantly:
Copying sentences verbatim is transcription, not learning. Force yourself to compress each idea into your own phrasing - the act of rewording is where understanding happens. If you cannot reword it, you have found a gap to fix.
Notes are raw material, not the finished product. Within a day, add two or three questions in the margin that your notes answer. Those questions become your revision deck later - which is exactly what exam preparation runs on.
The same discipline applies live in lectures - see lectures and note-taking.
Get the free Study Skills Starter Kit - the planners, note templates and revision checklists that go with these guides. It is free, and it is the same system we teach in the full study-skills course.
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