Skimming and scanning

Question 1

What is skimming?

Answer 1

Skimming is useful when you want to quickly get a general idea of what a text is about.

Question 2

What is scanning?

Answer 2

Scanning refers to reading through material to find specific information.

Question 3

When should you skim?

Answer 3

When you:
Have a lot to read in a short space of time
Revising topics to identify key information
Locating a passage in a text
Finding relevant material when planning an essay

Question 4

When should you scan?

Answer 4

When you:
Looking for specific pieces of information quickly
Locating a relevant quotation or section in a text

Question 5

How to skim?

Answer 5

You skim by:
Reading the topic sentence.
Reading the first and last paragraphs.
Using chapter names, headings, and subheadings as a guide.

Question 6

How to scan?

Answer 6

You scan by:
Thinking about what information you are looking for before you begin to scan the text.
Considering how the text is structured, is it in alphabetical, chronologically, by category or flashback.
Using your index finger to help you, move your finger at the same time as your eyes to help maintain focus.