Getting the main idea in reading is central to effective
studying.
You must learn what the author's central idea is, and understand
it in your own way. Every paragraph contains a main idea. Main
ideas are perfect for outlining textbooks. Make it a habit to
find the main idea in each paragraph you read.
Extracting Important Details
Extracting important details mean that you locate in your
reading main and most significant ideas.
There is usually one important detail associated with every main
idea. The more important details you can identify, the easier it
will be to review for examinations because you have made a link
between an idea and information that supports it.
The more links you can make between details and ideas, as well
as ideas themselves, the more powerful will be the efforts of
your study.
The first things to ask yourself are: "Why you are reading the
text? Are you reading with a purpose or just for pleasure? What
do you want to know after reading it?"
In other words, identify your purpose.
Once you know this, you can examine the text to see whether it
is going to move you towards this goal.
An easy way of doing this is to look at the introduction and the
chapter headings. The introduction should let you know whom the
book is targeted at, and what it seeks to achieve.
Chapter headings will give you an overall view of the structure
of the subject.
After grasping ideas from chapter introductions, ask yourself
whether the book meets your needs.
Ask yourself if it assumes too much or too little knowledge.
If the book weren't ideal, would it be better to find a better
one?
Take 1-2 minutes to skim through the article to find the core
idea. Know what is being expressed. Do you need more details? If
not, find another article.
Read lightly and flexibly. Know what you need. Slow down to
fulfill your purpose, answering questions that are most
important to you.
Since very few words carry the meaning, speed up to pass
redundant or useless information.
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