Highlighting a page can make it look studied without showing whether you understand the argument. Active reading asks you to do something with the material. The Open University's active-reading guidance describes questioning a text, selective annotation and testing recall. Here is a practical way to apply those ideas to one difficult article.
Decide why you are reading
Write the question you need the article to help answer. You may be trying to understand a concept, compare arguments or locate evidence for a specific issue. The purpose shapes what matters. If you are unsure of the assignment's question, resolve that before spending hours gathering material that may not be relevant.
Preview the title, headings and opening or concluding sections where available. Record the author's apparent main point in one tentative sentence. Label it tentative because a closer reading may change your understanding. This creates a starting hypothesis you can test rather than a verdict reached from the title alone.
Separate the parts of the argument
As you read a section, distinguish the claim, supporting evidence, example and limitation. An example illustrates an idea; it does not necessarily establish that the idea applies everywhere. Note when an author describes someone else's view rather than endorsing it. These distinctions prevent common errors in summaries.
Imagine a fictional article arguing that shared calendars improve coordination. It describes one team that missed fewer appointments after introducing a calendar. Your note could say: “Claim: shared visibility helps coordination. Example: one team's appointments. Unanswered question: whether other changes contributed.” This is more informative than highlighting every sentence mentioning calendars.
Use annotations that ask something
Write short prompts such as “What supports this?”, “Does this apply outside the example?” or “How does this differ from the previous section?” Avoid copying large chunks into your notes. If a sentence is difficult, paraphrase it and compare your paraphrase with the original to check that the meaning survives.
For an unfamiliar term, first see whether the author defines it. Record the definition and how it is used in context. If you need another source, choose an appropriate authoritative reference. Do not replace a precise specialist meaning with the first everyday definition you find.
- What question am I trying to answer?
- What is the central claim in this section?
- What evidence is provided for it?
- Is this passage an example or a general conclusion?
- What assumptions or limitations are stated?
- Which point remains unclear?
Close the text and explain it
After a manageable section, put the text aside and explain the main point in your own words. You can write three sentences or speak an explanation. Reopen the text and check for missing conditions, qualifications or changes in meaning. The check matters as much as the recall; a confident explanation can still be inaccurate.
If the explanation fails, narrow the task. Return to the paragraph that connects the evidence with the conclusion, or write a simpler question. Re-reading the entire article without a purpose may repeat the same confusion. Ask a tutor or appropriate discussion partner about a specific passage when the difficulty persists.
Finish with a useful record
Keep the bibliographic details, a brief summary, relevant page or section references and open questions. Clearly separate your ideas from the author's wording. If you copy a short quotation for later use, mark it as a quotation immediately and retain its exact source information.
Your reading record should help you return to the argument without recreating the entire article. A few accurate claims and questions are often more useful than pages of coloured text. Active reading is complete when you can explain what the source says, why it matters to your question and what it does not establish.
Sources and further reading
This original guide was prepared with AI assistance. Examples are illustrative. The edition date is an assigned date in this 2026 catalogue. See our editorial policy and report a correction.