Surface vs. Deep Reading
This type of reading focuses on memorizing isolated facts without deeper understanding.
What is surface reading?
This is what you should start reading when approaching an academic text.
What is a summary, introduction, or conclusion?
This type of citation uses your own words but still gives credit to the author.
What is an indirect citation (paraphrasing)?
Academic writing avoids slang and uses this type of vocabulary.
What is formal language?
The section where the author presents the research project they have done is called this.
What is the study (or methodology) section?
This approach involves analysing, synthesising, and negotiating meaning with the author.
What is deep reading?
A good reader actively writes these down while reading to stay engaged and curious.
What questions do I wonder about?
This type of citation uses quotation marks and the author’s exact words.
What is a direct citation?
Hermida frequently supports claims by referring to other researchers. This is called using what?
What are references or research citations?
Clear subheadings such as “Surface and Deep Approaches to Reading” help organise the text. This improves what?
What is structure or clarity?
According to research cited by Hermida, most university students adopt this approach to reading.
What is a surface approach?
Your reading strategy should change depending on this factor.
What is the purpose of reading (why I am reading the text)?
When citing Hermida’s article in APA style, you must include these three elements in-text.
What are the author’s name and the year and page number (Hermida, 2009, p. -)?
Nominalisations are typical of this style.
What is formal academic style?
At the beginning of the article, Hermida presents his central claim. This part is called the what?
What is the introduction (with thesis statement)?
Surface readers focus on this, while deep readers focus on meaning.
What is the sign (the text itself)?
If I am looking for specific information in a text, I should focus on finding these.
What are keywords?
One reason we cite sources is to avoid this academic offence.
What is plagiarism?
Words like “tenet,” “constructive alignment,” and “higher-order cognitive skills” are examples of this.
What is subject-specific vocabulary?
At the end of the article, Hermida summarises findings and reinforces his argument. This section is called what?
What is the conclusion?
Deep readers connect ideas in a text to previous knowledge, other texts, and real-world issues. What higher-order thinking skill does this require?
What is/are critical thinking/cognitive skills?
One way to check if you truly understand a text is to do this.
What is explaining the text to another person?
Besides avoiding plagiarism, citing sources strengthens your text by showing this.
What is credibility or academic reliability?
The article avoids “I think” and emotional language. This shows academic writing aims for this quality.
What is objectivity?
Using a real classroom experiment strengthens the article’s argument by providing this.
What is empirical evidence?