Skimming and scanning

Skimming and scanning are time-saving reading techniques that allow you to find the information you need without reading full texts. This page gives you some tips for how to get started using these techniques.

Skimming

This involves reading through a text quickly to get a general idea of its contents. To skim, do not read every word. Rather, pay attention to:

key words and phrases
numerical data and dates
capitalised words and phrases
bulleted points and numbered lists
anything in bold or italicised

These features often highlight important information.

Note: for core texts that you must understand thoroughly, this reading technique may not be appropriate.

Scanning

This technique also involves going through a text quickly to find specific information. Again, you will not read every word. Instead, you read quickly until you come to the information you are looking for, and then you stop to read the information more carefully.

Before you scan a text, it is a good idea to have an idea of what you are looking for. For example, you might need to find statistics, or you might have some key words or phrases you need to find information about.

To illustrate, let's imagine that you are studying the topic of censorship, and you have found an article to read. You might make a list of key words to look for that includes:

censor / censorship / censoring
media suppression
silencing of media
corrupt / corruption

When doing this, keep a look out for variations of the key words and phrases that might also appear in the text.

Examples of skimming and scanning strategies

Read the topic sentence for the main idea

The topic sentence of a paragraph tells the reader what the main idea is. It is usually the first sentence of a paragraph. Can you identify the topic sentence in this passage?

The Australian preferential voting system ensures the chosen candidate reflects the choice of most voters. In this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots, instead of picking just one (Liu, 2024). For example, if no candidate gets more than half of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the least votes is removed. Consequently, their votes are given to the next preferred candidate on those ballots. Therefore, this process helps to ensure that the winning candidate has wider support among voters.

The topic sentence of the paragraph is: 'The Australian preferential voting system ensures the chosen candidate reflects the choice of most voters'.

Scan for key words

Imagine that you are studying a degree in politics and you need to find information on preferential voting systems. See if you can find any key words that relate to the topic in this passage:

The Australian preferential voting system ensures the chosen candidate reflects the choice of most voters. In this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots, instead of picking just one (Liu, 2024). For example, if no candidate gets more than half of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the least votes is removed. Consequently, their votes are given to the next preferred candidate on those ballots. Therefore, this process helps to ensure that the winning candidate has wider support among voters.

Possible key words from this paragraph are:

- preferential voting system
- preference
- vote(s) / voters / voting
- candidate(s)
- ballot

Scan for linking words and phrases

Linking words and phrases show the relationship between different ideas. They can show contrast, comparison, a sequence, add additional information, provide emphasis, and show cause and effect. Can you identify five linking words and phrases in this passage?

The Australian preferential voting system ensures the chosen candidate reflects the choice of most voters. In this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots, instead of picking just one (Liu, 2024). For example, if no candidate gets more than half of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the least votes is removed. Consequently, their votes are given to the next preferred candidate on those ballots. Therefore, this process helps to ensure that the winning candidate has wider support among voters.

The linking words and phrases from this paragraph are:

for example
consequently
therefore